Day 3 started in Rabida Island's Red beach where we had our daily interaction with sea lions. A short trail leads to a salt water lagoon, which used to be used by flamingos but not anymore. Juvenile sea lions now occupy it for playtime and we watched a couple of them frolicking in the water. Back on the beach amongst low-lying bushes was nesting Brown Pelicans. At one point as if on cue, two of the pelicans started mating! It was very short and not so sweet! There were also a few finches. The highlight was the Galapgos Hawk that came down to feed on its prey - a baby marine Iguana. Santiago or James was our afternoon stop. This has a raised beach, now protected by a lava flow that through weathering has lots of grottos and caverns connected to the sea. Here was where fur seals hauled themselves onto rocky ledges to sleep during the day or cool off in the grottos. The grottos provide protection from their predators during the day, as fur seals are night hunters. We got another snorkel again today. Plenty more fish in the sea and some were the size of dinner plates!!!

The final day around the islands we went to Floreana Island. Firstly a panga ride brought us into contact with more of the rare Galapagos penguins, turtles and yet more sea lions. We stopped at Post Office Bay to drop off postcards. Early British Whalers set up a barrel to leave messages for ships returning to England to take home and picking up messages from those on their way back. Although the barrel has been changed a few times, the mail system has been more or less in continuous use since then. Leave a postcard and pick one up to hand deliver to someone near you. Eventually I will have one hand-delivered to me! Then we had 3 snorkel points around the Corona del Diablo (Devil's Crown) where we saw several sharks including my first Hammerhead Shark, sting ray, spotted eagle ray, sea lions and lots more fish. I was fine until the third drop where the surge and currant was just too much and I started feeding the fish and had to be plucked out of the water. But I'd seen everything everyone else had seen. Our final stop was Cormorant Point, home to Greater Flamingos and where the Galapagos Green Turtle nests, before heading off for a very bumpy 6-hr ride back to Santa Cruz.

Intro | Travelling there | Santa Fe/Cerro Dragon | Black Turtle Cove/N Seymour | Espanola | Rabida/Santiago/Floreana