San Cristobal Island, Galapagos - Hammerhead Sharks and Playful Sea Lions

From our cliff-side perch, frigate birds, with their scissor-like tails, soared overhead as we watched snorkelers swim with the sea lions in Playa Tijeteras far down below. After a short but steep walk, we too were in the water, donning our masks and snorkels, to enjoy the inquisitive and playful sea lions as they swam near, sometimes almost nose-to- nose (or is that nose-to-mask?). At one point several of them surrounded MK as she swam about. I heard one before I saw him. Once in view, he did 360-degree circles over my back then down below and around me. Later, one swam swiftly right at me and then dove deep just before his nose met mine. 

After they swam off, schools consisting of thousands of small fish, one group silver, the next orange encircled us. As we approached, they parted to allow a small passage through which we could swim and move on. Later, MK had large sea turtles swim underneath her. One that surfaced did so right in front of her mask, close enough that she could see it take a couple of breaths before submerging itself once again.  

We ate our lunch at Playa Punta Carola where sea lions abounded. MK learned a lesson the hard way when one snapped at her after she got too close. However, later when we laid down on our towels, one waddled right past our outstretched feet to find a shady spot underneath some nearby trees. Soon thereafter, little lava lizards appeared. One was bold enough to crawl onto MK’s leg while she was suntanning. 

We later explored the streets and walkways of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal’s main city and our base for the next few days. A school had a large vegetable plot out front. School children were out on recess tending to it, raking the rows, pulling weeds, and harvesting some of the vegetables. Compare this back In the States, where school recess consists of playing tag or bullying little kids. Nearby in a small plaza, young adults danced to salsa music in the sand. Dozens of empty beer bottles lay at their feet. For them, it looked like their weekend started early. 

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

The weekend started early for this bunch.

In the late afternoon, we headed back to our hostel, where the owners Marco and Theresa proceeded to chat with us in Spanish that we tried hard to understand. We are getting better at picking up on key words and phrases the longer we are in Ecuador, but it is still difficult to understand a lot of what is being said to us. In fact, we are somewhat surprised at how strong the language barrier has been pretty much everywhere we’ve been so far. Normally, English speakers are easy to find regardless of where you might be in the world. Not so much here though. 

Marco and Theresa are the sweetest people we have met so far in our journey. They own and operate a true local, mom and pop operation. This hostel is also their home. It is so small (ten rooms maybe?) that we cook our meals in their kitchen, eat with them at their dining room table, and sit next to them and their house-cat on old and tattered sofas while watching Spanish television newscasts. 

Marco and Theresa

Mostly they work, scurrying about to tend to household and business matters, which for here are one and the same. She often reaches for her back to soothe the sore muscles from stooping too often when cleaning and tidying up. He puts on thick glasses to see through his cataract-clouded eyes, squinting at his dated computer screen to pay bills and settle accounts with us paying customers. All transactions are in cash for I think the use of credit card processing technology is beyond their grasp. 

Right on cue, the roosters crowed at 4:15 a.m. the following morning. This has been the case wherever we have been in Ecuador so far. 4:15 a.m., and the roosters crow. Oftentimes, barking dogs accompanied the cacophony. Today, however, it didn’t much matter as we had to get up to meet our ride to the start of the day’s snorkeling tour.

We arrived at the dive shop to get fitted with snorkel gear. Trying on the wet suits involved the typical humiliation for me. After correctly selecting a suit of suitable size for MK, the owner turned back to the rack toward the section marked “large.” He turned around to look at me then moved over to the XL section. He thumbed through the suits, paused for a moment and, without looking back at me, slid over once more to the XXL section. “Here Señor. See if this fits you.”  This is not the first time I’ve snorkeled where outfitting me turned out to be a challenge. 

Our boat motored away from the dock carrying twelve passengers plus several guides. We were heading to Kicker Rock. A towering split rock of volcanic tuff created 2-3 million years ago located about a mile off of the western shore of San Cristobal Island. The local name for Kicker Rock is Leon Dormido, or sleeping lion, for the shape of a part of the rock supposedly looks just like one. 

Kicker Rock

All but four of us were going scuba diving. MK, two other ladies, and I were sticking to the safer option of snorkeling. I’m just to much of a scaredy-cat to try scuba diving. I see myself panicking while deep under the surface, my mask filling with seawater, and me then scrambling to the top for air, getting the bends as a result or, worse, dying while trying. 

Our guides, Anny (l) and Carol.

Kicker Rock is renowned for its great snorkeling. And it did not disappoint. After our guides Anny and Carol instructed us to put on our snorkel gear and wet suits (mine fit perfectly, by the way), they proceeded to make the most of our one and a half hours in the water.

Sea life abounds around the outside walls and in the caverns and canyons formed between the splits. Sea turtles, golden rays, a sea lion or two and thousands and thousands of multi-colored fish filled our view. 

Then, below us, a school of black-tipped sharks swam into view. Their stout, bull-dog look was menacing, but they kept a fair distance away from us and, more importantly, us from them.

The current was strong against us as we swam into the canyon between the rocks. We worked hard with our flippers and arms to make progress, but doing so was difficult. All of the sparkling fish around us didn’t seem to have any issues for their forward progress appeared to be swift compared to our slow crawl. 

Suddenly, all of the fish disappeared. I was thinking how odd that was when, just below me, a school of about a dozen hammerhead sharks glided by. My good people, let me repeat that - these were hammer-frickin’-head sharks swimming only a few feet away from us!

My God! I thought. We were told there has never been a recorded shark attack in the Galapagos. But that did not give me the comfort needed at the moment. However, soon enough, the hammerheads swam out of view and our canyon was once again teeming with fish. 

Exhausted with exhilaration and the physical exertion of our efforts, we re-boarded our boat for hot tea, some pan de chocolate, and, after the scuba divers arrived, a bountiful, full-spread lunch of seared tuna, rice, and candied plantains. 

Anny steadies the boat while we disembark.

A pelican and a blue-footed boobie, pals for life apparently.

Our boat waits off-shore while we walk the beach at Cerro Brujo.

Guides deserve to rest too, right?

After more than satisfactorily filling ourselves, we waded ashore at the playa underneath Cerro Brujo. Some of us relaxed and others explored while walking along the bright white sands that had the consistency of fine powdered sugar. But for the horseflies and their painful bites, the setting would have been perfect. 

When we returned to port, we walked to the far eastern shore of the island to the quiet and remote beach at La Loberia. Yellow finches fluttered in the trees above us. Sea lions sleepily lounged on the black rocks. Waves generated from somewhere between us and the Ecuadorian mainland crashed in a thunderous roar at the reef's edge a hundred yards off-shore. 

We started this Galapagos experience at the sublime beaches back at Santa Cruz. And now, two weeks later, we have finished in similar fashion here on San Cristobal. All in all, it was a magnificent adventure. 

A four minute music video of our time in the Galapagos is at the following link: