It was the perfect day for kayaking. The water was calm. From the point where Master and Commander was shot, along the coastline of tiny islands, and into a bay near Chinese Hat to view the penguins. It is possible there is no better paddle in the world.
It was also our last day of kayaking for the trip. Familiar friends dotted the coastline: Blue Footed Boobies, Rock Herons, Pelicans, Marine Iguanas, and Sally Lightfoot crabs. The following image is kind of a game: if you look closely, you can find a sea lion, a heron, several Sally Lightfoot Crabs, and two Marine Iguanas, one with his arm around the other.
Penguins, a small population of the Galapagos, are the northernmost penguins in their natural habitat. The Galapagos Penguins are small ni size (about a foot tall) and small in numbers (about 1200 alive on the planet - but only 600 during bad weather years.) They are not endangered in that their population seems to be stable, unlike the tortoises that were disappearing forever.
Because the water was so smooth, we were able to kayak to see the penguins close up which was not in the original planned kayak, but with small groups, spontaneity is a bonus, and one of my dreams finally came true. It is very difficult to bon up and down inches away from the rock where the penguin sits, but if one paddles against the strong current and the other shoots a million photos, you are bound to get two or three good ones. In other words, the penguins were so cute, so you have to bear with us and their monopoly on our film.
