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| Santa Fe Island. |
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| Lava lizard. |
The day began with a wet landing on Santa Fe Island, a small island near Santa Cruz. We explored the island and its amazing plant and wildlife. The massive Opuntia cactus trees, which happened to be the largest in the Galapagos, were especially impressive. After heading back to the boat, we took a quick break, and then headed out on a snorkel in the surrounding bay. We snorkeled along the rocky shore, in search of sea lions, turtles, and sharks. Sadly we didn't see any sharks, but the sea lions and turtles were so incredible to swim with that no one really cared. The early afternoon was spent resting while the boat drove to our next destination, South Plaza Island. Upon arriving, everyone was immediately in awe of the scenery, it was truly one of the most spectacular views of the trip. We then took the dinghy onto the island, and took a walk around the life filled island, seeing multiple species of birds, and more land iguanas than we had on any other island. It was even visibly apparent from the island how rich the sea was with life, as schools of fish and rays were visible from the cliffs above. The richness of the sea was why we couldn't jump off the boat, as shark attacks were not uncommon in the area. After encountering and warding off a pesky sea lion, we took the dingy back to the boat to begin our short trip to Puerto Ayora, the port where we would be spending our next few days.
by Spencer Andrews
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| Opuntia cactus trees on Santa Fe Island. |
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| Blog author admiring Opuntia cactus pad. |
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| Rare sighting of Galapagos snake. |
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| More sea lions on the beach. |
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| Lava gull on South Plaza |
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| Red billed tropic bird |
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| Land iguana. |
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| Jose and William relax on deck. |
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| Pacific green sea turtle. |
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