Since there isn’t much horizontal space for soil to settle in, there isn’t much in the way of plant life. But there is just enough horizontal space here and there for sea birds to perch. They seem to love this rock. It gives them a good vantage point to spot fish and dive for them. In fact there are so many sea birds here; the rock is white from bird guano.
Later in the morning, I snorkeled a short distance off the shore of San Cristobal Island. It was epic. The visibility was poor, primarily due to all the algae moving through the water. There wasn’t much in the way of gorgeous seaweed covering the rocks. And, the water was freezing - well probably around 72° at the surface. Although I consider these unfavorable conditions for snorkeling, the penguins, sea lions, and sea turtles all find it ideal. Thankfully, I brought my own 3mm wetsuit. With an additional 3mm shortie layered on top, I enjoyed swimming with all those aquatic animals, even though I really couldn’t keep pace with any them.
Calliope and I both adored swimming with the sea lion females and pups. They are the most playful creatures I have ever interacted with. They whoosh past, and then if you show any signs of playfulness, they come back somersaulting and twirling in the water all around you. They seem to know where your eyes are, because they come up snout-to-face with your mask and then whisk off in another direction. When I had to go to the surface for air, they would continue playing with Calliope. Even when there was just one sea lion around, we each had the feeling the sea lion was playing exclusively with us; but in fact, they were able to play with all of us at the same time.
We spent the rest of the time swimming amidst schools of fish that shimmered in the light that did manage to filter through the greenish water. Our guide, Nacho, pointed out sardines, surgeon fish, angel fish, parrot fish - all in large enough schools to follow and swim through.
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