Galapagos Islands - Day Two - Dragon Hill, Ballena Bay (Santa Cruz)

Oh hi! After a night on the high seas travelling to our next destination, I was relieved to find that I wasn't at all seasick. In fact the effect of the boat rocking actually lulled me to sleep. I did accidentally overdose on seasickness tablets to be sure on the first night and took full advantage of the drowsy side effects that made me feel pleasantly stoned. This was ideal. It was strange being in the tiny cabin. I was on the top bunk (Wiji naturally was next to the air con!) I could see the waves and water level not far below the port holes from my bunk. It was much more comfy than some of our hotel beds...and that was a relief! It was quite mad having a shower and looking out the port hole as well as holding yourself upright when the boat was moving. I could not resist getting up super early and was ready at 5:30 am...leaving Wiji to get ready with a bit more space.

I was super excited to get on the top deck and look at the view. It was so still and tranquil. This was my first view of Dragon Hill. The colours were so subtle and muted in the morning light.


The sun coming up with the remains of the banana's on the branch, others were on the floor...some had gone overboard in the night. This was a nice touch, so that everyone could help themselves to some fruit and lay on the loungers eating it. I already had the hang of this!


Yeah, at this point I am only hysterical at how brilliant this is!!!! Wiji made it up on deck at 6ish to enjoy the early morning views too. He possibly wanted me to shut up about it too.


The bell was rung at 6:30 for breakfast in the middle deck where it was clear there was going to be an enthusiastic queue for seating and the three course meal. We felt really spoilt as we chomped our way through fruit, cereal, eggs. We had fruit juices and coffee while getting to know our fellow passengers and gazing out the windows at the ocean. Quick smart the bell was rung at 7am for us to get to the inflatable dinghy with life jackets on to be ferried across to Dragon Hill. This was to be a wet landing that consisted of jumping out of the dinghy as soon as we got near enough to the beach. We then had to quickly get our walking boots on to follow the trail with Lobo at the front.

It was already heating up as we walked single file up over the lava boulders and inland.


The colours and textures were extreme in contrast.


Half way along the trail Lobo helpfully pointed out the wasps that were flying about whilst making us all stand in there nesting area. He informed us that they really like yellow...how lucky that I was wearing a yellow top then! Unfortunately Johann got stung. Lobo explained in a dry monotone manner that he was now a statistic. One person would get bitten once every three weeks. And also that in about 30 minutes Johann would feels some pain. (Nice to know!) Fortunately he didn't have an allergic reaction to the bite. Some people even thanked him for being the statistic instead of them. It certainly seemd to make everyone a bit more alert!

Following the trail within the markers.


Our first sighting of the Galapagos Mocking bird. This time it was easier to hear its loud melodious whistles than photograph it. It was here that I chose to ask Lobo what the thorn bush was called. He repeated back to everyone that this was a bush with thorns, and therefore was called a thorn bush! Thanks!


Our second close sighting of a Land Iguana. This one is basking in the morning sun to raise its metabolism. Land Iguanas were once common on several islands but the introduction of dogs cats and pigs meant that by 1976 they were all but wiped out on Santa Cruz. The Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Reserch Station rescued about 60 of them and transferred these to Venecia, a small island off the north coast of Dragon Hill. They also took soil from the original nesting ground to establish a new nesting site on Venecia. This fortunately proved very sucessful and every two years now juveniles are repatriated back to Dragon Hill.

Land Iguanas are vegetarians and live on the spiny Opuntias (cactus) paddles and fruit. Males are territorial and wait under Opuntias for the fruit to fall. This one is over a meter in length...what an amazing beast! We diverted our path to walk around him as he casually watched us, unafraid.


Here is a short video of another one chowing down.


In the foreground, the bare Palo Santo trees that have a distinct fragrance that can be smelt by rubbing the bark. Elsewhere the wood is used as incense. Here also, are Mesquite trees. Both of which have bark that is covered in colourful lichens.


Marine Iguana's are the worlds only true marine lizard that live only in the Galapagos Islands. It was amazing to see them at such close range warming up in the morning sunshine when it is the best time to see them in groups like this...still, and easy to photograph! We could see them snorting out a white mucus from their nostrils ridding their bodies of ingested saltwater in a comedy manner. Totally mad to see this for real, having watched a DVD of Galapagos at Harmood house!


A close up of the tide line on the beach.


Walking around the trail we also saw several different types of finches. It was very exciting, but initially they were very hard to photograph.

After our walk we waited on the beach to get picked up by the dinghy. This was where the German lady Bridgette in her haste to get in, fell back out of the dinghy and into the shallows, twice. This was made more amusing by Eleanore her American roomate, who could hardly contain herself! It was a classic! This was a sign of things to come!

Once we were back on the Floreana we quickly got changed into our swimming stuff for our first snorkelling experience. God yeah! It wasn't even 9:30 yet!!! Once changed we got back on the dinghy and slowly motored our way out into the ocean to Conway bay... these were some rocks basically where we were to experience our first deep sea snorkle. Lobo told us that 'when we were ready we could swing our legs over the dingy get into the ocean and swim towards the rocks...but not too close to the rocks, so that you don't get washed onto them!' LOL, Ideal!

In our cabin we had both frantically put our camera into its underwater case and were super excited to play with it. It was brilliant getting in the sea. There was a swell that propelled us to the rocks and underwater we could see the waves breaking on them sending millions of tiny bubbles towards us. The visibility was amazing and we could see many meters down to the bottom. It was very deep and exciting! The closer to the rocks we got the shallower it became as it shelved upwards.


A starfish the size of a dinner plate!


Massive shoals of fish flowing with the swell.


This fish swimming over the sea urchins was about two foot long and about 7ins in height. The colours seemed to glow underwater.


Oh hi! A White tipped Reef Shark! It was only about four foot long and thoroughly not interested in us. So much so that it swam away when it saw us, but hey! What an ominous form to see looming out of the blue depths. It reminded me of snorkelling in Australia where it got so deep that the ocean was just a wall of blue and you start to wonder what will come out of it!! Best not to dwell on that whilst in the water really!






Watching the waves underwater.


An enormous shoal of fish in formation!


These massive beasts were always in big shoals!


The water was teaming with so many different types of fish at different levels.


Wiji swims off into the deep blue.


As our first snorkelling experience in the Galapagos it was totally amazing! We loved getting off the dinghy out at sea and the swell of the waves was really exciting. It felt much more 'wild' and adventurous than our previous snorkelling experiences on our travels. When we were called out of the water to get back in the dinghy we felt quite tired and headed like everyone else, to our cabins for a hot shower. The Floreana was immediately on the move again, sailing to Ballena bay for the affternoons activities. We had a massive three course lunch to fit in and were really hungry...again! We then had plenty of time to lay on the loungers on the top deck, where everyone there including myself promptly fell asleep. It was sooo relaxing sleeping on the boat like this it was almost a revelation!

Sailing passed Isla Eden on the Floreana on the way to Ballena Bay.


Once we got to Ballena bay we went off in the dingy again for a wet landing on the beach, where we could snorkle or explore the shore. We opted for a bit of both.

Here are two sets of Turtle tracks leading out of the sea and high onto the beach to two nest mounds.


Exploring the shore line of rocky lava pools there were plenty of Sally Lightfoot Crabs to try to sneak up on. They have really good eyesight and really do nip off quick smart when they see you. I managed to avoid a wave that came just after this shot. It was here that I noticed that the smaller Sally crabs are black when they are juveniles which camouflages them on the lava rocks against predators. As they mature they become lightly spotted with white dots then gradually gain the red and orange colours through their legs to shell.


Sally Lightfoot crabs are common on all the islands because the eggs that are laid in the sea drift with other plankton on the ocean currents until they are large enough to climb onto a rocky shoreline and develop into juveniles. This is called predator swamping and ensures that so many eggs are laid that they can't possibly all be eated by predators, many do survive.

The Floreana in the background, the dinghy in the middle ground and Wiji snorkelling off the shore. It was here that I saw a Manta Ray. It was huge and raised itself gracefully out of the depths like a massive black shadow giving me a huge fright! It quickly disappeared again. Wiji was off snorkelling somewhere else so no one was there to see it with me sadly.


When I got back in the dinghy everyone asked if I had seen the Sealion next to me. I hadn't and really kicked myself, apparently I had swam off in the opposite direction! Lol, Oh well, you can't win them all.

Another hot shower and back up on deck for some more top quality relaxation time. I can't actually think of a place that I have felt more relaxed than on the boat. All the exciting activities, fresh food sea air and napping, it was brilliant!



The Floreana immediately set off at full tilt to our next destination. This sailing was described as 'open sea exploration' and what it ammounted to was a rough crossing. It gradually got so rough that it was hard to stand up and walk about.

Eventually I had to admit defeat, leave my lounger and go below deck to the cabin for a wee. This was not a good move! On my return to the top deck, I managed to fall and hit my face on the corner of one of the deck chairs...without saving myself! It appeared that no one had seen me except Wiji, stiffling a laugh and Gilda an older German lady who was concerned. I decided to stay sat down for the remainder of the time! Everone else was at the front of the boat 'Whale watching'...but it later emerged that they were concentrating hard on the horizon, so as not to be sick! It was actually only really Kirsty who was faithfully doing the whale watching for real!

As time passed it got windier and rougher and Lobo came up to tell us that we must come in from the top deck because the Captain did not think it was safe. Collectively everyone growned and promptly moved to the second deck where people started to puke overboard. I went and sat in the dining room and watched Eleanore and Bridgette play cards in my drugged up drowsy seasickness tablet stupor, where I then fell asleep and Marjorie laid the table around me.

Wiji went to the cabin and dropped off. We had dinner much later, with a few of our fellow passengers missing. Those that were there asked if I was ok when I fell over! Yeah, thanks. I'm fine! Lol. We sat on a table that seemed to magnify the boats vibrations through our cuttlery clattering across the table. This made us slightly hysterical with laughter, but eventually Johann had had enough of the vibrating table and left us to it.