November 7, 2002, 2:41 pm 30.45" Hg, 82.0 F
This afternoon the ship is steaming for a long while which affords me
opportunity to take pen in hand again.
Journal writing on the top deck
I forwent yesterday morning's early walk but elected for the morning
walk to another beach and snorkelling from the first. These two
beaches are located on Bartolomé, an islet off of the east coast
of Santiago Island. On a whim I purchased a disposable underwater
camera prior to departing. I partnered with Gary Williams as snorkel
buddy. After landing on the beach many of us walked over a high
(30 feet) sand dune to a beach opposite our landing one.
View from the top of the sand dune, Polaris is in the background
There we saw lightfoot crabs, hermit crabs, and ghost crabs. What struck me
was that at the high tide line among the detritus was thousands upon
thousands of small pieces of plastic. This makes me think that there must
be millions of millions of such pieces of trash scattered on all the oceans
of the world for this little island to pick up so many. At about half past
ten we returned to the first beach, I with camera in hand. As we swam
around a small point I lost track of Gary, but saw green sea urchins for
the first time. Around the point, two other passengers recommended swimming
between two rocks and looking for a manta ray they had just seen.
I swam around the little pool area, not finding the ray, but finding Gary.
He told me that many years before he had seen a penguin standing on a rocky
ledge in front of where we were - but he was not here to greet us at this
time. After a lot more swimming Gary spotted a penguin preening himself on
the surface. I swam up to him for above and below water photographs.
penguin seen at a distance
penguin on the surface as seen from under water
And then he was off! And I was in pursuit! We swam and I struggled to keep
up, snapping photos as we went. He dove. I photographed him diving.
penguin diving
He glided above the sea bottom some twenty feet below me. I captured this
scene and of him ascending.
penguin gliding above the sea bottom
penguin ascending
Upon ascending he kept swimming around the rock. I kept him on my right,
occasionally glancing ahead to avoid swimming head-first into a wall.
following penguin around the rock
As I was doing so, I caught a snapshot of an eight foot white tipped reef
shark on my left.
white tipped reef shark
My reaction was that I felt much less safe snorkelling on the
surface than if I had been diving. Diving I could have clutched the sea
floor to avoid the shark. No matter - I was too occupied with thoughts of
the penguin and quickly forgot about the shark. I kept following the
penguin. They can swim surprisingly fast, for I could not keep up despite
wearing flippers. I am glad of the strengthening those stationary bicycle
classes afforded my legs, for a few months earlier I might have had no
chance of capturing the penguin on film for lack of speed.a
one more dive for Mr. penguin
Gary and I then turned and swam back to the beach. Along the way I took a
few photos of a sea lion swimming under and near me.
a Galapagos sea lion
the sea lion frolicking
By now I have seen so many sea lions that they no longer seem remarkable,
although I suspect that the pups will always appear terribly cute. It was
after an Ecuadorean buffet lunch on board the Polaris that the medic
diagnosed an external ear infection and recommended against further
snorkelling. Four dives and a snorkel swim gave me view of myriad sharks,
turtles, moray eels, rays, fish, sea urchins, and a penguin all just before
the sea was placed off limits for me.
Additionally, on the way out from the penguin I was swimming head out of
water, mask on my forehead, chatting with Gary about the penguin. I
discovered I had lost my mask. Gary spotted it on the bottom about fifteen
feet down. He was able to dive down and thankfully retrieve it for me.
We travelled to Puerto Egas on the western side of Santiago Island
a sea a lion and myself looking at each other
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Everybody look at the camera!
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some of the Polaris crew plays soccer
taking a hike along the shoreline
Tracy, our video chronicler, filming some sea lions late in the day
November 7, 2002 3:50 pm
