We arrived at the easternmost point of the Galapagos archipelago, Punta Pitt on San Cristóbal. We anchored near a small islet which was teeming with birds.
On the main island we saw red-footed boobies high up on the cliffs nesting in bushes but generally there was much less bird life as the threat is greater from land mammals such as goats, cats and rats which have been introduced over the years. Major extermination programmes (eg 60,000 goats on one island) have been necessary to protect the indigenous ecosystem.
On the way towards the Sleeping Lion island we had great surprise when a huge pod of dolphins suddenly appeared, jumping in and out of the water around us. There was even the occasional backflip as they followed the boat for a memorable half hour. It was amazing to see how the dolphins brought joy and excitement to all, adults and children alike.
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| A dolphin leaps from the water next to the Beagle |
Not to be outdone our more regular marine mammal friends, the sealions, were also in good form as they joined our snorkeling expedition. The juveniles swam up and down, whizzing past and underneath us at great speed, while the imposing alpha males moved menacingly around in the background guarding their territory. Among the many tropical fish that we see each day the other highlights were seeing some stingrays and a bizarre fight between an octopus and an eel. The octopus was showing interest in some small fish when the eel bolted towards it out of nowhere at high speed. The octopus lost the end of one of its tentacles and limped off into a small cave in the rock.
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