Galapagos Day 8: Black Turtle Cove

We had finished our land trips and snorkeling the day before but we had one last trip out in the dinghy. We set out early towards the mangroves which line the cove and which are reminiscent of the bayous of Louisiana.  After a few minutes of seeing very little at all other than a few pelicans hurling themselves head first into the water in characteristically inelegant fashion, I began to suspect that this trip was just a ruse to get us off the boat for an hour while they prepared the beds for the next group of passengers.

However, when Daniel stopped in a quiet corner and turned the engine off all manner of things started to happen. First the tranquil sound of bird song appeared along with some herons and egrets on the surface.  Then turtle heads popped out of the water, soon to be followed by shark fins. Things were looking up. Next on show came a shoal of around 50 golden rays - huge diamond shaped fish flapping their wings as they glistened just below the surface. Daniel pointed out that these were just one of a number of ray species and right on cue some spotted eagle rays emerged into view to prove his point.

So, a fascinating end to our week here in yet another different environment. We have seen and learned so much, had some great weather and scenery, made some new friends and really relaxed. Now it's farewell to the Beagle and our new friends and back to mainland Ecuador for the last few days of this trip.

Goodbye to the team!