Sea lions and The Sleeping Lion

On Day 3, we went snorkeling with young sea lions off the Isla des Lobos. Or, I should say, they swam with us. Played with us. We paddled along, and the sea lions swam under and around us, twisting, diving, switching direction, in a bewildering display of aquatic acrobatics. For creatures that seem so – lumpy – on land, they are amazingly agile and graceful in the water. Sebastian had told us the Park forbids touching or bothering any animals, but these young sea lions obviously were having fun with the humans!

Later that same day, we snorkeled at El Leon Dormido (The Sleeping Lion), a rock formation in the sea north of San Cristobal, which is split into two sections. Because ocean swells were creating strong currents in the channel between the two sections, we had to jump off the boat on one side, swim through the channel, and meet the boat on the other side. We wouldn’t have been able to swim back to the original spot. The turbulence also stirred up the silt, so visibility was poor. We saw two reef sharks and two green sea turtles only because they swam very close to us. This too is the Galapagos. You have to take it on its terms. It cannot be scheduled to suit your demands.