My Great Galapagos Trip – Day 9

On By Adventures of a New FloridianIn Galapagos

As a recap, it has been the biggest dream of mine to go to the Galapagos Islands since I was 6 years old. I was incredibly blessed with the opportunity to do so this summer. This post will cover day 9 of the incredible 10-day journey. If you missed the previous posts, you can start the series here.

Day 9 (Santiago Island and Bartholomew Island): Today started with a beach day spent on Santiago Island. We were given around an hour of free time, which I spend by taking photos of sally lightfoot crabs, diving blue-footed boobies, American oystercatchers, and brown pelicans.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Following the beach day, we were given the opportunity to snorkel in the waters. We were able to see a large sting ray and a moray eel. The entire ocean floor was covered with various sea stars and sea cucumbers. It was truly an impressive sight.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We hopped back on the boat to change and head to Bartholomew Island, where we were able to see Pinnacle Rock. To get to the summit and get the perfect view, we had to hike up over 370 stairs. The view was absolutely worth the difficult hike! The beautiful blue water could make anyone fall in love with the island. This little island was packed with lava lizards, lava cactus, and a little plant called Tequilia nesiotica (common name Tequilia).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After hiking back down all of the stairs, we had a second snorkel where we were finally able to swim with sharks! There were four white-tip reef sharks in the water, and I was able to spend a good amount of time swimming above them and just enjoying the way they maneuvered through the water.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

During both snorkels, Victor, one of our tour guides, would swim through underwater caves. I would have loved to do this, but my free-diving skills are sub-par at best.

During this second snorkel, we saw more starfish than we could count! They littered the ocean floor!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Along with all of the starfish, we saw a plethora of other neat things!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After getting out of the water, we hopped back on the boat. We were given the opportunity to jump off the roof of the yacht. Now, I have an extreme fear of heights, so I had to overcome a lot to talk myself into doing it, but you’re only in the Galapagos once! It was a 25 foot drop, and it was SO MUCH FUN! If you ever get the opportunity to do this, do it! You won’t regret it! It was the best way to end an incredible day!

The night concluded with two very large Galapagos sharks swimming right next to the boat. I didn’t get any pictures, but talk about paradise!

Up next, Day 10: North Seymour Island and Baltra Island!

Day 9
PIN ME!

54 thoughts on “My Great Galapagos Trip – Day 9”

  4. josypheen

    I LOVE that crab photo, and did you notice that the hole in the rock (after the crabby) looks a little like a love heart? It sort of sums up how much you seemed to have enjoyed the Galapagos islands.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  6. Such vibrant photos! Especially the crab and the landscapes you get to take in! And your underwater photos… it’s like bringing us down there with you. You must have had a really fun time in the Galapagos! Thanks for sharing us its beauty. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. Ahh that sounds awesome, we’ve heard you can just be laying on the beach next to the sea lions and everythings all good. Definitely need to go. What type of camera (lens specifically) are you using to capture the pics?

        Liked by 1 person

      2. You absolutely can! They might bark at you if they feel like you are threatening their territory though! As far as cameras go, all photos on land were taken with a Canon 5D Mark III. Nearly all photos (and I think all photos in this particular post) were taken with a 24-105 mm L Series lend. However, I also brought along a 70-200 mm lens that I used every once in a while. All underwater photos were taken from videos shot with a GoPro Hero 3. And then I also took some photos on my iPhone.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. I truly don’t think you can go wrong with Canon, Nikon, or Sony. You just have to make sure once you decide on one, that you won’t want to switch! Those lenses are not cheap no matter which company you go with! I will always be a Canon fan though! I hope you are able to find a great camera for you! I hope to see some amazing photos from you soon! 🙂

        Like

    1. Well, I first heard about the islands when I was six. From a really young age, I absolutely loved animals, and hearing about a place that was filled with animals that you can’t find anywhere else just got me hooked! Throughout my schooling, nearly every biology class I ever had discussed the Galapagos. So I just continued to learn about them, and it just fed my desire to go!
      Thank you for reading and your kind words! 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  21. OH em gee!! So close to those sharks. I am terrified of sharks, but I suppose they would be quite amazing to see up close. I love your photo of the sally lightfoot crab, incredible! I guess my bucket list has just got bigger, again!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment