Capturing the Moment

Galapagos Day 5: Giant Tortoise Reserve and Charles Darwin Research Station Today we got a little bit of civilization, anchoring outside the "big" city of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. This is the main tourist hub for those folks not on cruise ships. You can get dive trips, day snorkel trips, and tons of lodging and dining options here. No trip to Puerto Ayora would be complete without a walk to the Charles Darwin Research Station to see the different types of Giant Tortoises from the different islands. We also had the chance to jump in a bus and head up into the highlands in the middle of the island to visit the Giant Tortoise Reserve. An endemic Giant Tortoise walks towards me on a trail. It was another big day today. We left after breakfast and took zodiacs into the dock at Puerto Ayora. A few sea lions and pelicans greeted us on the docks. We loaded up into a bus and drove a couple of miles along the coast to the Charles Darwin Research Center. Here we saw baby giant...

  Dragon Hill in the background of another beautiful Galapagos Island landscape Today was a big day on our exploration of the Galapagos Archipelago. We crammed three different adventures into our day, with a hike and a snorkel on Rabida Island in the morning, and a hike to Dragon Hill on Santa Cruz Island in the afternoon. The landscapes were stunning, and the snorkel was super fun. I spent most of the time underwater, freediving with sea lions, big schools of fish, and an elusive nurse shark. And it all started off with a bang as our zodiacs took us in for a shore landing on the most beautiful red sand beach. Beautiful red sand beach Another shot of the red sand next to the green bushes. Beautiful cliff view from our Hike Not only did we get a scenic hike in on the lava rock coastline, but there was a pond full of pink flamingos just inland from the red sand beach. We spent a while just watching the flamingos feeding in the shallow water. I think a lot of the guests onboard were s...

  This is what I'm talking about! Today we did it all. We started with a snorkel in Urbina Bay, then kayaked around Tagus Cove, and finally did a hard charger hike up the volcano for a spectacular view. The snorkeling was a blast. Tons of hungry sea turtles swam in the shallows. Many could be seen feeding on the green algae growing on the rocks. They didn't seem to mind our presence so I managed to get some fun GoPro shots of them from pretty close. I realized after our snorkel that this is the real hidden gem of the Galapagos. Everyone knows about the land animals and how close they let you get, but no one talks about how the sea creatures are also right in your face. Off in the deeper, bluer water I went free diving into a massive school of King Angelfish. I always love swimming around big schools of fish. It felt like I was part of the school and they totally surrounded me. Take a look below to see what I mean! The afternoon was spent kayaking and hiking. The hike took us ri...

  Skiff Tours, Sea Caves, Beach Landings, and more wildlife than I can shake a stick at? Yes Please! That was the story on our first full day aboard La Pinta here in the Galapagos Islands. We started off our day with a zodiac tour around the Northwest tip of Isabela Island at a place called Punta Vicente Roca. A marine iguana lazily lounges ontop of another in an attempt to warm up in the afternoon sun. The landscape of Isabela Island here is stunning. The volcano geology is exposed thanks to thousands of years of erosion due to wind, waves, and rain. As we approached the cliffs closer we realized that sea birds and marine iguanas dotted the cliffs. Just like the animals on Seymour North Island yesterday, they allowed us to approach very closely. All of these photos were taken with my iPhone. It was the closest I had ever gotten to a brown noddy, a beautiful little sea bird that nest in rocky cliffs. Check out the photo below! Farther along the cliffs we came across a massive sea c...