Retrospective
On the first real day of the cruise we got out in the “panga” (dinghy) to see the rock formations along the shore of San Cristóbal Island, where the ocean has eroded giant archways into the soft stone. We then went snorkeling off the panga near some rocks a bit out on the ocean. The current was strong and the wetsuit I got was too small and uncomfortable, so snorkeling was a challenge. Also the captain had warned me that my mustache would make the mask leak, and this was indeed the case. It had to be sacrificed before the next day’s outing. The upside is there was a very playful sea lion along for the swim.
Boobies, of the red footed variety. Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
In the afternoon we made a “wet” landing on the island, pulled on boots, and went for a short hike in the drizzle to see red footed boobies. At this point I was excited about the animals, but felt like I wouldn’t be comfortably dry for the rest of the cruise.
The night featured another long ride back to Santa Cruz Island. The first stop featured land iguanas and sea lions lounging on a black rocky cliff. The second was on a sandbar between two islands, with many sea lions napping along the beach and countless marine iguanas and brightly colored crabs on the rocks.
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
The boat stayed in place for the night so I got a decent night’s sleep. After a quick tour around one of the tiny volcanic islands beckoning on the horizon, we dropped off half the passengers at the airport in the morning. That’s the so-called 4 day tour: a day at the starting point, 2 days of cruise, and back tot he airport. The family that left that morning was not too happy about this. The best was yet to come.
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
Costs
Crew and guide tips and snorkeling equipment prorated.
Daily cost: $26.67
Cumulative cost: $4,109.11