A naturalist guide took us on a half day tour to Las Tintoreras, a small island about 10 minutes by boat from Puerto Villamil. The first thing we saw along the way were penguins and sea lions taking advantage of an abandoned boat.
We walked around the island, mostly made up of A'a' lava type.
This is the main breeding site for marine iguanas and there had recently been a hatch and the juveniles were everywhere. They don't move around much and spend most of their time soaking up the warmth of the sun.
There were black sand beaches and heron.
The birds and animals co-existed as you can see here. Look under the brush to see a sea lion. Click on any picture in this blog to make the picture larger.
The Sally Lightfoot crabs stood out with their bright red shells. They are amazingly agile and can hop from rock to rock.
On the island is a narrow lava canal where white-tipped sharks can be seen resting.
The water is crystal clear and the sharks are easy to see and watch. They are a non-agressive reef shark.
You can't snorkel here but we did have an opportunity at the end of the tour. As I said, I am not a strong swimmer and so our guide towed me along. I can't believe anyone can swim that fast!
No comments:
Post a Comment