June 7, 2004 - San Cristóbal

We're lucky we set the alarm, because no wake-up call arrived. I think John must be on some sort of Ecuador blacklist or something. The flight from Guayaquil to San Cristóbal, Galapagos was uneventful, and we all arrived with our luggage intact (except for John, of course). We played the ol' Ecuadorean game of random check-in procedures and ended up being able to check in all of our luggage as a group, so all of it was out of our hands from the time we left the Grand Hotel to when they were delivered onto the deck of the Deep Blue. Speaking of the Deep Blue, the boat is much like I remember it from my last trip back in November, except that a lot of things have been improved: there is a nice compressor on board, there are "Deep Blue" robes in each room, there are compressed-air whips next to each camera table, my photos are hanging in frames all over the boat, and the crew has really learned how to take care of a scuba dive-oriented group of guests. It has definitely been great to see Ken Weemhoff, John Boll, Antonio Moreano, Juan Carlos, and the rest of the crew again. Ken and John are at it already, and their constant brutal -- and funny -- banter is making everyone laugh.

The checkout dive at San Cristóbal was as I remembered; I verified that I was wearing enough weight to sink and then played with the local sea lions for about ten minutes until my camera battery went flat. For me, camera failure usually means that the dive is over.

In the afternoon we did a land tour of the island to see sea lions, lava lizards, great frigate birds, and nesting blue-footed boobies. Close to the end of the trail, I pointed out to Antonio a juvenile sea lion off the beaten path that had a thin dark line around its neck, which we assumed was something like fishing wire. "I think we should capture it [and remove the wire]," Antonio decided, radioing the boat for a pair of wire cutters and some crew. Well, it turns out that even small sea lions are incredibly strong. It took four or five crew members to immobilize the little guy and cut the wire off, which turned out to be a rubber gasket. Antonio was certain that the sea lion would have died without our help. It is important to note that guides and guests are specifically informed not to interfere in any way when death or terminal sickness is due to natural causes. In this case, the gasket around the sea lion's neck was clearly a result of trash being discarded into the ocean. It was very sad, but everyone is hopeful that he will survive. Nearby was another juvenile with a large hook hanging out of its mouth, but Antonio decided to report the animal to officials instead of risking injury to both sea lion and crew by trying to remove it.