Dancing with Sea Lions

Day two and we danced with juvenile sea lions.  Yet another magical experience.  As we dived down and around them they danced and twisted around us and each other.  What majestic creatures!  They didn’t seem at all bothered by our presence and at times we were entirely surrounded by them.  Suddenly I thought someone was trying to get my attention by tugging on my flipper, turning around I instead found a sea lion nibbling on my flipper! The water was a very pleasant 28 degrees, so there was no hurry to get out.
We also saw a large group of Eagle Rays, which the seals seemed to chase away.  The Eagle Rays are similar to Sting Rays, but with a more diamond shape and white speckles on their back.  They are also majestic creatures, but without the same level of cuteness as the Sea Lions.
Experiences like this make me feel incredibly lucky to be here.  Visiting the Galapagos really is a trip of a lifetime, and being here for the third time is just phenomenal.  
Swimming here at Santa Fe was a much needed reprieve from the heat.  I was really struggling with the heat this morning.  By 7am it must have been 30 degrees and our early morning visit to South Plaza Island was a struggle.  I was hunting for the smallest spots of shade and not appreciating the iguanas and cactuses as much as I would have if I’d been a little cooler.  A good reminder to take some wet arm covers and an umbrella for the afternoon walk today.  We were lucky to see a Marine-Land Iguana cross and a Blue Footed Booby.  We also saw hundreds of Galapagos Shearwaters protecting their nests in the cliffs from the Frigate Birds trying to steal their chicks.
Santa Fe has an interesting dilemma in that the Iguana population has exploded and the cactus trees are under threat as one of their main food sources.  We saw several scraps over cactus ears with the winner scratching the spikes off and munching away.  It’s surprising how fast they can move when they want to.  The Iguana population explosion is the result of the reduced Hawk population on nearby Santa Cruz Island, caused by locals in the 1990s shooting them to protect their chickens.  They hope a Hawk breeding and release program will help restore the balance and ensure the long-term survival of both the cactus and the Iguanas.
South Plaza was nice this morning, but the highlight of today has undoubtedly been dancing with the Sea Lions.  What an experience!

Hazel

PS note the flipper in the second photo