Commodore
February 22, 2023

Wednesday 22 February – A trip to Tortuga Island

Apologies in advance to the avid PolePole fans – the Gunner has been recruited to give mum some help with her backlog of blog entries. We’ve had an action-packed time in the Galapagos with barely a moment to spare and poor stinky has been overloaded by all of the millennials on board!

The morning got off to a very entertaining start when we discovered that not only had the enormous sea lions left a phallic-shaped poop on deck, but also that they had somehow managed to heave their way upstairs into the cockpit and made themselves at home on PolePole’s very comfortable sofa bed. They clearly thought that this was just bliss and the thick layer of hair left behind was testament to their sheer delight as they rubbed themselves all over mum’s fancy Ardmore pillows and dad’s open backpack. Sadly, the sea lion prevention devices are now back with a vengeance.

Following an emergency clean-up session (luckily Megan is doing a PHD in wild dog poop/scent marks, so she was very eager to assist), we were off in our water-taxi picking up the Canadian Cory, Penny and Luke (?) en-route to shore. We had booked everything all very last minute, but luckily it went to plan. There, we met our captain, who took us for a wetsuit, snorkel and mask-fitting session and we were off on our speedy boat, along with some Ecuadorian photographers. Enroute to our snorkel spots, Dani put us to shame by participating in a work call over the sound of two roaring engines.

Our first stop was Cuatros Hermanos (four brothers), which is a very appropriate name for these 4 rocks that jut out of the sea in the middle of the ocean. Our destination was a smaller version of Tortuga Island, also a volcanic caldera that had collapsed into the sea, where we were taken around the back and approached a cave carved into the cliffs. In a bad day for gender equality and a good day to be a woman, us lucky ladies were ordered to the best seats on the boat.

Our expert captain steered us into the narrow cave and we had an incredible view over a large fever (yes, that’s right!) of beautiful spotted eagle rays gliding elegantly in the water beneath us. On exiting, we also had a great view of a shark which was only tarnished as rocks started falling in the water from above – bringing back our Kicker Rock PTSD. Our captain told us we couldn’t swim here because the cliffs weren’t safe and that there had been an accident at Kicker Rock recently – he couldn’t believe it when we said we were involved in it!

From there, it was another boat ride to Tortuga Island for our first snorkel. We all plopped out the water and were amazed to see three hammerhead sharks appear briefly in the deep water below us. Hammerhead sharks are critically endangered but thanks to the Galapagos’ long history of conservation, these remote islands are home to the largest biomass of sharks in the world, and it’s one of the best places to see these elusive weirdos. With their eyes on large stalks on either side of their heads, it’s hard to imagine how (especially given Darwin’s presence in the area) this has evolved – according to the powers of Google, they pin down their prey with their hammers and specialise on rays! Fascinating.

We frantically paddled along the cliffs searching for other creatures and spotted blacktip sharks, countless sea turtles and big schools of sturgeon. Despite our best efforts, I was very surprised to discover that we were only ending up closer to the cliffs and surging waves, sucked along by the same current that had attracted the hammerhead sharks there. Eventually, Phoebe very wisely suggested we get back into the boat and try somewhere with less challenging conditions. Our next spot was much calmer with great visibility and we somehow jumped in in the middle of a blacktip-shark feeding frenzy! Dozens of sharks of all sizes, including some that were just big enough to start being concerned about surrounded us, while their prey darted between us.

The longer we spent there, the more curious the sharks became. They started coming right up to us and I got quite a surprise when I dived underwater to photograph one and another came swimming past my head! Eventually, the feeding frenzy disbanded, and we continued on our way. The fish were stunning and it was so reassuring to see so many individuals and varieties. Highlights included two massive barracuda (spotted only by Hannah and Megan), another spotted eagle ray (this time underwater!), countless turtles (adorned with beautiful sand-dollars and barnacles, which was probably very inconvenient!), and Luke seeing a hammerhead (as he missed them at the first spot).

After two very successful swims, we toured the surrounding islands and spotted Galapagos Fur Seals, nesting Nazca Boobies and courting Frigate Birds with their extraordinary red pouches. We had been wondering why the sea lions are so tame given that they were hunted for their pelts for decades, and the fur seal sighting cleared up all confusion – these poor guys were preferentially hunted for their thicker coat and ‘longer guard hairs’ leaving the sea lions unscathed and with less competition, and so are much more nervous around humans. No wonder the sea lions like humans so much! On our way back, Penny was given control of the boat which she gleefully accepted. She was soon going full speed and we were doing doughnuts while the panicked captain tried to wrestle control of the boat! Although she had a great time, perhaps we were a little overly anxious from our last traumatic tour experience, especially as out of sight of the harbour master we had all shrugged off our life jackets.

Somehow during the day, the crew on the boat had managed to catch an enormous yellowfin tuna which dad bought off them and by great coincidence, a member of Cory and co’s crew was a pro fisherman and delightedly filleted and delivered the prepared fish to PolePole. Dad (rather uncharacteristically!!) did a fantastic presentation of tuna ceviche on a bed of guacamole, accompanied with delicious baby potatoes, pickled ginger and a salad prepared by Megan. A great end to a great day. Sadly Widge and Edmund couldn’t join us for a farewell feast, they had exhausted themselves on a mega walk and were leaving very early in the morning for a long day of travelling back to Panama City.

Sea lion hair all over the outside sofa

The millennials!

Collapsed caldera

The Gunner who wrote this blog

Baby iguanas clinging onto the cliffs, they swim all the way from Isabella island where they hatch in the sand, less chance of predators here apparently but a perilous swim!