May 6 - Snorkel with penguins, sea lions and sharks, oh no!

We landed on Santa Cruz Island today. It’s the most inhabited of the islands with a population of approximately 22,000 inhabitants. Who knew so many people actually lived in the Galapagos? Turns out that to prevent the importation of disease or non-endemic species of plants & animals, the Ecuadorian Government requires that everything that is consumed in the Galapagos, on land or on ships, must be grown or produced there. As a result, Santa Cruz is home to a large dairy, a meat packing plant, and large herds of cows, sheep and goats. We met our first Blue Footed Booby today, watched pelicans fish without ever missing a catch, and snorkeled for the first time with penguins and white-tipped sharks. This is Mother Nature at her best!

Baby sea lion. Did you know they suckle their mothers for 3 years!

Galapagos penguin

American Oystercatcher Bird

Blue Footed Booby