Snorkeling trip to Leon Dormido

Wow! I can't believe I've been here just over a week! It's been really incredible so far and I'm excited to see what the next 11 weeks holds! I wanted to post about my 'everyday life' here but I feel compelled to first write about the amazing trip I took on Saturday.

I love the ocean so I was very excited to here that we would be going out on a snorkeling trip with the university. There are around 45 GAIAS students and we were split into three different boats with plans to go to three different sites. 

We headed out from the town of a beautiful sunny and warm day. There are always lots of boats in the harbor and we spent some time weaving in and out before we really got out into the open water.

Looking back through the harbor to the town

Our first stop was a protected area of the island where we got to see lots of wildlife! We got our first look at blue footed bobbies and also saw several sea lions, iguanas, and other birds (including a little chick nesting up in a tree!).

This is a shot of a blue footed booby diving into the water in search of some fish. Unfortunately I don't have a good picture of the blue feet. 

 The blue green water we would soon be snorkeling in

After a few minutes of watching from the boat it was time to get wet! Those that didn't have snorkel gear were able to rent (I have a mask and snorkel but needed fins) and we all got changed. Several people in the group opted to wear wetsuits because the water is cool. I decided to go without since it's warmer then the Oregon/WA coast or the New England coast!! 

I had my new underwater camera with me. I've been using here quite a bit but I had yet to jump in the water and plunge it in. I read a fair number of reviews of people having problems so I wanted to make sure that if I only got one good use from the camera it would be from something special. I figured this would be the perfect time to test it out!

These little fish were EVERYWHERE. They swim all around you and you can't help but run into them. 

Enjoying the water!! 

We saw lots of wildlife! Sea lions, fish, crabs, turtles, and sting rays! This guy swam right under us and I managed to snap this picture right before he went to go hide under that rock. It was amazing how close they come to you - if we had wanted we could have reached out and touched him!

The bottom was just 6-12ft down from where we were swimming which meant there were lots of colorful fish playing among the rocks. I dove down to get the picture of this little fishy and his brightly colored tail. Later on we saw a whole school of them!

After snorkeling at this spot for a while it was time to continue on. Our next destination was el leon dormido (or kicker rock). This great snorkeling spot and popular tourist destination is just a 30min boat ride from my town. We see the rock out in the ocean everyday from campus and it was exciting to be heading out there. I had heard from a local the night before that we would have the chance to swim with sharks so I was really excited to check it out!

 Nearing leon dormido

When we got there we quickly noticed the snorkeling would be very different. We'd be swimming through a crack in the rock where the current moves through. The sharks swim through this area also along with rays and turtles. Then we'd have the chance to snorkel alongside the rock wall and look for more turtles, sea lions, and colorful fish. It was much deeper deeper here (30meters or so depending on the area) and the water was a lot darker (especially as the clouds started moving in).

A shot of a couple of the sharks that were just a couple feet below us. I dove down about 5ft to take this picture and almost bumped into a shark as I turned to come back up. There were probably 15 or so below us which felt slightly disconcerting at first but soon was just really close. They didn't seem to care that we were there so we were able to spend quite a while watching them. This one is probably 4-5ft long. 

 Looking back through the cut in the rock that we swam though where we saw the sharks.

Along the rock wall there were lots of little fish and several beautiful red starfish

We got to see several turtles as we finished the snorkel that swam about 5-15ft below us. We could swim right up to them without seeming to bother them at all!

After leon dormido we went to our last stop - a little beach on the far side of the island. We ate lunch on the boat and then had about 45min to snorkel in the shallow water and relax on the beach. It was nice to relax, reapply sunscreen (very necessary for me because I got burnt the day before sitting on the beach for too long), and play around. The only downside was the absurd amount of vicious horseflies. I got about a dozen bites, mostly on my legs, which itch like crazy. Our guide said they were the only things we were allowed to kill :)

 Goofing around in the sand

One of several crab shells along the shore

 The finches are entirely unafraid - they remind me of seagulls in the states. They were constantly landing on the boat railing and practically on our heads!

Finally it was time to head back home. We hopped back on the boat and several us took a seat on the bow to enjoy the wind and the view. We were casually chatting when all of a sudden we saw one girl with her mouth wide open trying to explain what she was seeing. We all turned to find ourselves several meters away from a HUGE humpback whale and her calf. It was incredible! They jumped out of the water once and then continued to surface part way for about 20min. Our captain followed the whales for quite a while, at times getting just a few feet away from these huge creatures. It was a spectacular ending to an amazing day!!! 

Picture of the baby whale leaping through the water

We got back to the dock around 3:15 and walked home to relax, take a shower, and do some laundry. The night ended well with dinner at a restaurant called "Kicker Rock" (appropriate for the day's trip) and some dancing at one of the few clubs on the island.

Definitely one of the best days I've had here in Ecuador! Hopefully Bearclaw and Dan will be able to experience this trip (or one like it) when they come in just a few weeks!