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  TODAY'S WEATHER Partly Cloudy 84.2°F (29°C) Latitude: 0 deg 45’S Longitude: 90 deg 17’W Wind Direction: SE Wind Speed: 10 Knots Sea State: 1 Swell(s) Height: 3-4 Foot Sea Temperature: 80.6°F (27°C) Barometric Pressure: 1010 MB Visibility: 10-25 Nautical Miles  Breakfast Eggs Bacon and sausage Oatmeal and raisin cookies Hash browns and hot cereal Mangos and melons Dry cereal Lunch (At the Lava Tube Restaurant, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos) Mini Pizzas Spaghetti with tomatoe sauce Broiled Chicken and Vegetables Fruitcake, coffee, tea Dinner Spaghetti with Meatballs Salad Bar Vegetables Cherry Pie and Ice Cream 
Adventures in the Galapagos Islands RV Melville pulled into Academy Bay on Santa Cruz Island
yesterday, 164 years after the Beagle arrived here with Charles Darwin.
We were all looking forward to seeing the wonders of nature that these islands
provide. Below are two accounts of some of our experiences during our brief,
but very enjoyable, port stop. Most marine life has learned to fear and hide from humans.
However, in the Galapagos Islands, spiny lobsters stare you in the eye and
sea lions nudge you as you swim by. Strict laws protect all marine life
in the Galapagos Islands. That is why divers can find animals that are as
curious about rubber-clad, funny looking humans as the humans are about
them! Sharks, sea lions, manta rays, lobster, sea turtles, and even the
fish, approach divers with a timid curiosity. So, while most of the science
crew went inland to explore the highlands of Santa Cruz, I went to explore
the underwater world around the island. I could spend hours describing the
wonders I saw. Imagine swimming with a school of twenty or more white tip
sharks, each shark coming over to check out the new member (you!); seeing
a couple of 3 meter-long hammer head sharks pass only less than an arm length
above you as you hold your breath to avoid scaring them away; watching sea
turtles sleeping in underwater caves; playing underwater tag with a family
of sea lions. The Galapagos Islands are such an amazing place! I think my
favorite moment was watching a school of white tip shark swimming “in-place” against
the current. As I clung to the rocks fascinated by the product of millions
of years of evolution, and surrounded by one of nature’s most efficient
eating machines -- the shark, I saw something I never expected to see. Among
the white tip sharks, there were three sea lions racing around playing,
a couple of sea turtles lazily swimming through the sharks, and two very
large hammer head sharks passing a couple of meters above the white tips!
None of these creatures was trying to eat or kill each other -- or more
importantly me! We were all completely at ease. Thirty minutes later, as
my dive buddy and I slowly rose to the surface, I noticed a large manta
ray (with a wing span of about 3 meters) gracefully gliding past. Nature
is so amazing! Yesterday afternoon, eight of the students and Resident Technician
Randy Dickau took to the high seas in search of adventure. A hastily arranged snorkeling
trip, booked with the aid of master haggler Jon Burgess, soon turned into one of the
highlights of our stay in the Galapagos. After a brief but bumpy boat ride, we reached
the small island of Caama�o -- home to a large colony of sea lions. We were immediately
welcomed by a large group of playful pups, who seemed intent on showing off. We wasted
little time in jumping into the water to join them, and were soon accepted into the fun
and games. There were at least thirty pups and some watchful adults making sure that we
posed no threat to their youngsters. The pups were very inquisitive and moved gracefully,
but quickly, through the water around us. Mimicking the twists and turns of our mammalian
cousins, we found it impossible to keep up with these agile and friendly creatures! Some pups
mischievously nibbled at our fins while others played tug-of-war with a piece of rope. Some
snapped up the occasional fish in front of our eyes, and played a game of catch with an
unfortunate sea cucumber! We were struck by their intelligence and abundance of energy as we
played for over an hour.
Playing with wild sea lion pups in their natural habitat was an experience difficult to convey in words
-- and one that we will not soon forget. We hope that the animals of the Galapagos Islands continue to
accept humans in their environment for as long as we give them no reason to fear us.
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© 2010 Dive and Discover™. Dive and Discover™ is a registered trademark of
Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution
