James Island

It is April Fool’s Day and there are no jokes apart from the fact that I cannot unlock my door. I open the window and call out. Jane hears me and says “Are you alright.” I say “No. I can’t get out of my room.” She goes to fetch someone. In the meantime, I fiddle with the lock, which I cannot turn at all. I decide maybe if I hold a bath towel around it I can get more leverage and after a few minutes of fiddling I managed to unlock the door.

We are anchored in Buccaneer Cove on James Island, also known as Santiago. There are towering cliffs with impressive rock strata. After breakfast we have a two hour panga trip along the coast.

Photography is difficult. The boat bobs around in the swell, is constantly being turned so that no matter which way you turn your body, you have to move again three seconds later. I am at the front which should help visibility, but everything we see is either behind me or I am shooting into the sun. As it happens, I am pleasantly surprised that I have managed to at least record some of what we have seen.

We see blue-footed boobies, nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, pelicans, lava herons, noddys and sea lions. Then we see something we have never seen before – twenty or so golden rays gliding along beneath the surface. The water is crystal clear and we can see them brilliantly.

In amongst them are a couple of small manta rays. On our way back a manta ray leaps out of the water and somersaults. It is huge but only jumps once so no evidence I am afraid.

We have a quick 20 minute turnaround to go snorkelling. I decide on a wetsuit as it is a deep water snorkel along the rocky coastline so I think the water will be cool and I also will have protection if the swell carries me onto any rocks. Visibility is not particularly good but I do see 3 white tip sharks and am visited fleetingly by two sea lions. As we near the shore, visibility is down to a couple of metres, so we all decide to abort the snorkel.

Before lunch we are shown the kitchen and treated to a cookery demonstration of how to make traditional Galapagos ceviche. This is then our starter for lunch and very delicious. In the meantime the ship changes location and we admire the scenery on route to our next location.

In the afternoon we make a wet landing on Espumilla Beach, James Island. We leave the beach and walk along a dusty track between scrubby trees. Alexis shows us an aromatic tree that the locals use as an insect repellent. It smells of liquorice and when burnt in homes acts as a natural insecticide.

We enjoy a guided walk along the coastline composed of lava flows that have eroded in places forming arches and blowholes.

The views are just stunning. Finches and warblers call from the trees and we see 3 land iguanas. They are big – much bigger than the marine iguanas. For some reason best known to myself, I decide to not bring my camera on the walk. I am annoyed as there is lots to see and I have to make do with the iPhone. In fairness it does a pretty good job.

After the walk we snorkel off the beach. It is very hot – has to be close on 40C and a swim is exceedingly appealing. The water feels cool, but it really is not. I do not have high expectations for the swim but I could not be more wrong. I have never seen so many fish in my life. Rocky outcrops are completely covered in shoals of fish and when you look at the shoals, smaller fish are within them. There are huge parrotfish of varying colours, beautiful angelfish, a large potato grouper and loads of fish that I need to look up. I also spot an eagle ray swimming below me and a huge stingray rests on the sand with a smaller one on top of it. As if this wasn’t enough somebody spots a shark and as I swim to find it, a sea lion swooshes past me. It’s just astonishing. Life in the seas here is so abundant. I have never in my life experienced anything like it.