Today we visited a unique island of the Galapagos, Bartolome. It is one of the newer islands in the Galapagos, at half a million years old. The team woke up at 6 AM to hike to the top of the volcanic island, seeing many spatter cones, lava tunnels, lava lizards, and chamaesyce plants along the way. Being a new island, and also being in the rain shadow of the highlands, this site was very barren, aside from the organisms mentioned above. Before lunch, we had several options for water activities. We visited a beach on Bartolome near the Pinnacle Rock. We also had the opportunity to go for a ride in the glass-bottom boats. A highlight for many young explorers was seeing the numerous sea stars and parrotfish. Later, there was an option for deep water snorkeling in the channel between Bartolome and Santiago (the larger island). There, we saw white-tipped reef sharks, sea stars on the ocean floor, and a plethora of fish species such as the razor surgeon fish, cornet fish and king angel fish in the coral reefs and underneath the rocks. I was lucky enough to see some penguins, sea lions, and puffer fish as well.
After lunch, there was an activity in the lounge for the Younger Explorers. Being the 2015 National Geographic Bee Champion, I was given the honor of hosting a GeoBee contest for the young children, where they answered five challenging questions. After this, our expedition leader, Paula Tagle and naturalist Jose Guerrero asked questions about the Galapagos Islands. All the contestants were given a medal for their participation. Then, each of the younger explorers had an opportunity to contribute a line for this expedition report. Here are their statements….
“My highlight was seeing many starfish on the glass bottom boat. It was spectacular.” – Jared Mantell
“I had fun swimming/snorkeling with friends in pretty warm water and then saw a huge ray. Also the hike and seeing old volcanoes was beast.” – Davis Leland
“My name is Brody. Today, I saw 2 sharks. I felt happy. Today’s breakfast was great!” – Brady Carr
“Today I went snorkeling and I saw 10 starfish and a humongous clownfish.” – Lucas Ruiz
“I’m Sage Leland and I really enjoyed the sparkling clear water with fish that are colorful and playful.”- Sage Leland
“Today I went snorkeling with my parents. My favorite part was when I got the closest to a shark that I have ever been. I wish I was allowed to touch it.”- Asa Dahdal
“I liked to snorkel next to a white tip shark. Also, I liked to see starfish and saw 2 sharks.”- Anna Ruiz
In the evening there was another snorkeling outing, on the other side of Santiago, near a volcanic cone named Sombrero Chino, or Chinese Hat due to its shape. There we saw sting rays, sea stars, and more fish, but the real highlight was the Galapagos penguins. This species is unique because it thrives so close to the equator. We also saw sharks and big schools of razor surgeon fish.
At the end of the day we will have a barbeque dinner out in the lounge, and we will be crossing the Equator tonight as we head to our final destination, Genovesa Island.
