Snorkeling

So far on this trip to the Galapagos, our group has snorkeled three times, with each experience much different from the others. The first snorkeling extravaganza involved three different stops in a bay off the island of Santa Cruz. Here we swam with sea lions, manta rays and white tip reef sharks. Swimming with sea lions was such an amazing experience. They came right up to us and swam around our legs! WOW! The second adventure we had was off the island of Isabella. This was the first time any of us swam with sea turtles...what a rush! In this island we also took a little trek on rocky terrain to look closely at marine iguanas (check out our awesome pictures) and saw a congregation of resting sharks. The third time we went snorkeling (we just couldn't get enough) we went to the first inhabited island names Floreana. Today, only about 200 people live there, it was beautiful and quiet. The water was very cold, only 5 people went snorkeling. The water was very clear and the animals were plentiful and colorful. Here, we swam with sharks and sea turtles among many vibrant reef fish. At one point, the bull male from the harem of sea lions entered the water and started barking at us...we swam away very quickly, bulls protecting their ladies are known to be very aggressive. Everywhere we looked we saw sea turtles and sea lions. Our guide found us a lone penguin, which made some penguin enthusiasts very happy. For those of us who love snorkeling, this trip has been a great experience.
---Christina, Jenni, Leah and Brett