Day 2 on Galapagos Islands, walking on lava,swiming Iguanas, snorkeling a volcanoe crater

Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Mon 12 Jul 2010 00:37
In afternoon I jumped out of a dinghy on the edge of a extinct volcano which
is now submerged. We had moved on 45 km to Isla Florina key in this area is
a significant current of 3 to 4knots. As I glided down the outside of the
cone 100s of fish, sharks and rays beneath me in 40 to 50 feet of water, but
great visibility. I then swam up the center of the cone, now only 20 feet
deep as this cone has moved on in the Galapagos Island conveyor belt. Seeing
clouds of yellow tailed, grey bodied Sergeant fish, eating all at once
around a rock, so tame that you brush them.
Tracy and boys jumped in the glass bottom boat and headed to the same place
a great success as Alex and Sean could look and down at the fish, then we
walked the island seeing the frigate birds diving down and picking up baby
turtles as they emerge from the sand nest high in the beach dunes. The more
and more you see these frigate birds I am amazed that their agility in
flying.
Over night we travelled 100+ km to the youngest islands which have still
active volcanoes (last eruption April last year). We walked on the black
waves of Lava Rock. Marina Iguanas swimming around us as we land, and sea
turtles watching us come ashore from their lazy swim. We sat watched a small
inlet a couple of feet deep, with small fish, eagle rays, and turtles
swimming around, and the Iguanas going for swims with their swaying tail,
which just propels the Iguanas through the water.
This afternoon after watching Spain win the world cup via satellite as we
went from island to island. Sean and I went snorkeling below some massive
cliffs, the water was cool at 20 c (68F) but it was a chance to snorkel with
the sea turtles and as soon as we went in the water we started to see them.
Sean snorkeling just holding onto my shoulder watched as the turtle swam
around us at less than arms length away, it was a graceful site and he
really enjoyed it, then swimming through a scool of tiny fish.
The boys are naming the animals and understanding a lot, and Sean is filling
the pictures into his journal which sticks pictures and draws pictures of
what he has seen that day.
Stay tuned.