Awesome Snorkeling, Part Two

After our walk through the birds, we then were Zodiac'd to the cliffs near the entrance to the bay to snorkel.  

By way of explanation, Genovesa Island is north of the equator, one of the northernmost islands in the Galapagos.  The caldera is mostly under water, a stunning place called Darwin Bay.  At the furthest point into the bay is the coralline beach we landed at after breakfast.  The rest of the bay is surrounded by high cliffs.

The snorkeling was sublime.  Because the water was a bit darker, and I had struggled to get good photos the day before, I left the underwater camera in our cabin for this trip.  I kind of regretted not bringing it along, because there were many large colorful fish; I'm sure I could have gotten one or two good photos.

On the other hand, by not bringing it along, I focused on the fish instead of trying to get photos.  And the snorkeling was, once again, spectacular.  There were Galapagos fur seals along the rocks (fur seals are actually sea lions).  They are endangered, and are not as easy to find as sea lions, because they don't hang out on beaches, but in rocky areas and caves.

Anyhow, we snorkeled along the cliffs.  Besides the fur seals, there were no dramatic sightings of a shark, a ray, starfish, or sea turtles like the previous snorkel, but I actually thought the fish were more diverse and plentiful on this snorkel.

Just like the previous day, we spent so much time in the water that when I got out, my fingers were all pruney, more so than I've ever seen before.  Must be something in the water.