On Tuesday (day 3 of our trip to Isabela Island), we went on a short boat ride to "Las Tintoreras." "Las Tintoreras" is Spanish for white tipped fin sharks, which are nocturnal sharks that rest in caves and calm water during the day. Even though we had seen these sharks up close while snorkeling the day before, my Mom (who had opted not to snorkel), hadn't seen them. What was exciting about this particular guided trip, which included a hike, a boat ride and snorkeling, was that we had a chance to see the white tipped fin sharks without going in the water. We were also very excited about the possibility of seeing Galápagos penguins, the smallest and most northern penguins in the world.
Unlike the previous day where we went on a long boat ride to get to our destination, we never got up to full speed on this boat ride because the destination was so close. The islets, like many things on Isabela, are made up of lava rock which juts out of the bay in a variety of interesting shapes and formations. Some of the islets have little "rivers" running through them. Some have cactus growing on them. Some have lots of mangrove trees crawling up and over the edges. As we were marveling at these strange sites, our tour guide said "penguins!" We looked at where he was pointing and we saw blue footed boobies, which, with their bright blue feet and white and brown feathers, stand out among the black lava rocks. We strained our eyes, and saw these smaller black blobs on the rocks. With their black backs to us, it was hard to distinguish them from the rocks, but sure enough, there were three there. (Later we would return to this site and see 7-8). Only in the Galapagos can you see an islet with cactus and marine iguanas and then turn around and see another islet with blue footed boobies, penguins and mangroves!
Most of the Galápagos penguins live on the other side of Isabela, in the waters between Fernandina Island and Isabela. There are only about 20-30 penguins in the Tintoreras area, and they always return to the Fernandina area to lay their eggs. During the morning the Galápagos penguins are often fishing so we were very happy that we saw some. We were also very surprised how small they were. At 1.5 feet in height, they are much smaller than the blue footed boobies, who can grow to be 2.56 feet tall. On our second sighting of the penguins, we were able to see them swim to shore, scoot up onto the rocks, and waddle-hop their way up to higher ground. We were also fortunate to see them swim in the water. I try to refrain from over using the word "cute," but these penguins are definitely cute!
So why are there penguins at the Equator? One of the things that makes the Galapagos unique and full of sea life is that there are four ocean currents that converge at the islands. One of those currents, the Humboldt current, is a cold current that originates in the the Antarctica. The ancestors of these guys probably rode this current up to the Galapagos. These waters are cold, which the penguins like.
The islet we hiked on was a field of black lava rocks decorated with white and green splotches. Most of the lava rocks in the islands are decorated with white splotches thanks to the many sea bird droppings. But these white splotches were lichen, and the green was algae. Along the path we were greeted by many scurrying lava lizards and many basking marine iguanas. The male marine iguanas are much bigger than the females. Males feed on the algae on the ocean floor and females feed on algae that is exposed when the tides are low. Because of their smaller size, females are not big and strong enough to brave the strong ocean currents and waves.
On our islet hike we were also introduced to two of the four different kinds of mangrove trees in the Galapagos: red mangroves and white mangroves. From a boat the mangroves look like they have two distinct sections: the leaves and the roots, with a straight line between the two showing how high the tide goes. With a close-up view on land, it doesn't appear so straight forward. The roots are more hidden and the branches look as though they are one big tangled mess. The roots and the branches are of similar widths and it's less clear where the root starts and the branches start.
Towards the end of our hike our guide led us to an area where the water and all of the fish in it were "trapped" in a skinny lagoon of water between rocks because it was low tide. In this water, which had a depth of maybe 4-5 feet, swam an adult white tipped fin shark, about 4-5 feet in length. Back and forth it paced the narrow lagoon, giving us a much better chance to observe this creature than the previous day of snorkeling. The water surface was about 5-6 feet below our feet and it was amazing to observe a shark so close up and from land.
Our hour spent snorkeling was great from the moment we belly flopped into the shallow depths of the lava rock shore. Immediately we were greeted by small colorful fish. Snorkeling is like entering another world. A world where the only sounds are of your own breathing. A world that has it's own hills, cliffs, tunnels, caves and valleys. A world where strange creatures that you've never seen before either float right on by you or lay before you as you try to comprehend what it is that you are seeing. A world full of lava and strange coral.
We saw many sea turtles (even caught a couple in the act of mating!) and tropical fish of all colors and sizes. We say eagle rays, trumpet fish, dog crabs and sea cucumbers all for the first time. Although we have seen many marine iguanas on land, we hadn't seen very many actually swimming. When you're snorkeling in a group with a guide, someone will often shout out something exciting like "turtle" or "iguana!" When I heard "iguana!" I turned around to see one headed straight for me. It's quite a shock to see this strange animal headed straight at you with it's stern face set on you and it's long tail whipping it forward. I laughed and shouted at the same time because it was both hilarious and alarming. I started to back away, but it then glided around me. When they are swimming to shore they swim with their head out of the water and the rest of their body floating just under the surface.
Luisa was particularly adept at finding sea stars. She was especially fond of the chocolate chip sea stars and the pyramid blue sea stars. She'd find one, tap me on the shoulder and lead me to it, pointing vigorously in the water. Once, when pointing to a chocolate chip sea star she said, "it looks so perfect and like it just came right out of the oven!" We were also impressed with the pyramid blue sea star with it's glittery, bright blue color and its skinny arms.
The hour spent in the water went by way too fast and I didn't really want to get out of the water, but our tour guide was on a tight schedule. I decided that in our remaining six weeks in the Galapagos that I need to get in as much snorkeling as possible because I probably won't get to snorkel quite like this ever again in my life. It's a real treat to snorkel in the waters of the Galapagos with my family amongst giant sea turtles. It's something I never tire of and makes me feel like I'm a part of God's great creation in a way that nothing else can.
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