Galapagos Day 4: Diving Bartolome and Cousins Rock

Today was our last day of diving and we made it count! We dove at another island called Bartolome which was another beautiful brown/black island rising out of the crystal blue sea. We swam along slowly descending shelves and you never knew what might be just below you on the next shelf down. We saw 5 white tipped reef sharks...which are still so crazy to see, when you come upon them just resting you can literally get within a foot of them (Although your heart rate speeds up accordingly). We saw 4 turtles, eels, a pacific octopus, 3 sea horses that were bright orange and about 6 inches long, we saw several diamond sting rays and a large (4 ft across) marble ray swimming by. They are so interesting to see swim. Because they are so large (and they are dwarfs compared to manta rays!) their flat bodies "ruffle" almost like a bed skirt as they swim. It is amazing to see how they move! We saw 3 sea lions that still just boggle the mind with their sudden twists and somersaults in the water! We saw a large school of barracuda, and a nudi branch (the tiny sea slug that is all kids of colors/designs) that was several different shades of blue!

In between dives we got to ride the boat very close to a place called Pinnacle Rock which is one of the most photographed places in the Galapagos. With its towering and jagged rock formation disappearing into the blue sea, it is no surprise. We got to see galapagos penguins on these rocks! The Galapagos penguin is the only penguin in the world to live so far from the pole (in the wild). They are able to survive so close to the equator because some of the water currents come directly from the pole and are VERY cold. In fact, we are diving in thicker than normal wet suits with hoods and gloves it is that cold!

On our way back after our second dive, we saw this 10+ pod of dolphins swimming by. Our boat driver turned around and circled them for awhile and we got to see 3 of them leaping out of the water doing a little sea world show for us! INCREDIBLE!

Then we got back to Santa Cruz island (after a 1.5 hour boat ride and 45 minute car ride), walked around the town for awhile, packed up our stuff and are heading to bed. It's 9:30pm and this is the first time I have been up this late in Ecuador! Tomorrow we head to Isabela Island! We've been really lucky with internet so far, but who knows what it will be like on Isabela. Will try to keep you updated!

XOXO from Galapagos!