2-22-01

Puerto Egas on Isla Santiago

 The beach where we land is black sand - ground up lava. We walk along the lava rocky shore. Fur seal sea lions play in the larger tide pools and the sand becomes white - coral. Iguanas surprise us from time to time. 

Lava lizards and lots of crab scurry about. A great blue heron fishes as waves crash near. American Oyster Catchers look for sea urchins and goat's crabs. 

It's getting to be too much. Too much input. Near remnants of the salt works that ran here from 1960 to 1980, the ships' crews are playing soccer on the field over the beach. 

We snorkel in the still murky water. I swim from the beach directly to the boat without flippers. Galan and several others do it with flippers. 

We get a brief rainsquall while the boat heads to Isla Bartolome. Lunch is ceviche, a cilantro lime shrimp dish, beans, and rice with vermicelli. 

Isla Bartolome 

  There isn't much wildlife on this island. A penguin swam around where we were swimming and snorkeling. The blue fish with the two vertical black stripes and the yellow tail is a yellow tailed surgeon fish. I think the blue and green mottled one is a parrotfish or a lemon sea bass. The negative of the surgeon fish with a black body with white stripes - but still a yellow tail is the King Angel Fish. 

I tried wearing socks with the fins and a bicycle like motion of legs. It does work better. However, my back is now sunburned. It's such a trial being in this tropical climate.