Santiago Island, or James Island, or San Salvador Island in the Galapagos, as it is variously known, is home to a fur seal and sea lion colony, some Galapagos hawks, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and various plovers and oystercatchers, and some of Darwin’s famous finches. There is a healthy population of marine iguanas, and some South American pelicans displaying their breeding plumage.
After a hike along the shore line on Santiago Island, it is back into the snorkelling gear to see what the underwater visibility is like. Unlike snorkelling at Genovesa Island or Bachas Beach, the shoreline here drops very quickly from a narrow beach to deep water at the point. Visibility in the water is not good, but the highlight is to see a small ray which got out of the way smartly as I flippered past it in shallow water. It’s a relatively short snorkelling session due to the visibility issues.
The afternoon is spent at sea navigating towards Isabela Island, with the sails up on the MS Beagle for part of the journey. Having the sails up is a rare event, even on the masted vessels built for that purpose, so we enjoy it while we can. We cross the equator just after 6pm, and re-enter the Southern Hemisphere.
