31DEC2021 – DAY 12: THE SNORKELING

After one of the longest nights sleep I’ve had on this trip so far (approx 7.5hrs), I woke up feeling sore but refreshed. Today we were heading out to the famous Kicker Rock for some deep sea snorkeling!

Prior to departing for our last big adventure activity in the Galapagos, we stopped by the dive shop to grab wetsuits, flippers, snorkels, and masks. We split into 2 groups, one headed straight to Kicker Rock and the other starting on the beach on the northern side of San Cristobal island. My group headed out to Kicker Rock first and hopped aboard the catamaran for a sunny ride through the pristine turquoise waters.

The ride out took longer than expected but we made the most of the perfectly clear skies as we relaxed on the front deck lounging in the sun. It didn’t take too long before the enormous rock came into view off in the distance. And slowly we encroached upon it. Out in the middle of the ocean far from any signs of civilization, I felt the full immersion of life at sea, even if only for a few moments. As we approached Kicker Rock, our guide pointed out the resemblance of a sleeping lion among the rock faces which prompted its Spanish name León Dormido.

Being a common scuba location and with all sorts of animals swimming around, our boat did not weigh anchor. Instead we zipped up our wetsuits, put on flippers, and affixed our snorkel masks to our faces while the captain brought us in as close as he could. And just like that we hopped in! The water was about 68F but we quickly acclimated as we made our way towards the rocky wall covered in beautifully colored coral.

While swimming along the wall, many tropical fish skirted past us as we made our way towards the channel. Below us we saw sea turtles and rays moving about. The animals were spectacular but we were on a bit of a schedule to get over to the carved out channel between the towering rock slabs sticking 480ft up. Deep ocean snorkeling is nothing like in the shallows! Fighting the currents to move ahead took an immense amount of energy. But it was worth it to catch the sight of a sea turtle gliding along directly below me!

As we approached the channel a giant wave came rolling through and we must have been pushed back by a good 20ft before it dissipated into the ocean. More of that would be a frequent occurrence as we swam through the 70ft long channel to the other side of kick Rock. Inside the channel we took a brief pause to experience the waves rolling through as we were displaced 10ft up and down approximately every 30 seconds. In between waves, I ducked just the surface and was astounded to find myself surrounded by literal thousands of fish. I had just joined a school passing through!

At the other end of the channel, we pushed past a final wave out towards the calmer waters. As we waited for our catamaran to come around and pick us up, we saw more animals swimming around us including a few reef sharks not more than a few meters away! Fortunately blacktip reef sharks are mostly docile and not aggressive so I was comfortable watching as they swam right past me.

The catamaran came back around and we hopped on board after a wonderfully successful snorkeling adventure! Heading out to the beach back by San Cristobal island, we shed our wetsuits and gorged ourselves on the provided lunch to refuel. The other group that split off earlier that morning would have their time experiencing Kicker Rock! The ride to the beach didn’t seem to take too long and we hopped on motor rafts to bring us the rest of the way in so our boat didn’t run aground too close to shore.

A family of seals was lounging nearby so we kept a little distance to not disturb them and risk getting attacked. Meredith and I walked up and down the beach collecting cool shells, rocks, and a few dismembered crab legs. We brought our haul back to the group as they finished sunbathing. Meanwhile, Esteban befriended a little gecko buddy who was crawling all over his hat and eventually down his shirt and into the pocket of his shorts. If Mara hadn’t pointed it out, the little guy might have gotten smushed! Fortunately, we were able to get him out and I brought him over to a rock a little ways down the beach where I spotted a yellow bird. As I snapped a picture, I was hoping it was one of the famous Darwin finches but it turns out it was just a common yellow warbler.

The beach was fun but we had to get going so we took the motor rafts back to the catamaran where the crew had a special surprise waiting for us. A new year’s cake, champagne, and chocolate bread! They sang some Spanish songs for us and we all toasted to a beautiful and happy new year as we closed out the day’s adventure returning to San Cristobal island to prepare for our final dinner.

Back in town, we all split for a scrambled last minute souvenir shopping spree. Though everyone ended up at the same souvenir shop anyway. After grabbing some unique gifts to remember our time in the Galapagos, we returned to the hotel where Esteban sat us down for a recap of the trip. I was pleasantly surprised to have made three of the top ten highlights while Meredith redressed my wound. It was the beginning of the bittersweet ending to a nonstop activity-filled 12 days of pure exhilaration!

And then it was off to dinner where we chatted about our favorite activities, discussed our future travel plans and traded social media contacts to stay in touch. During the middle of our meal, Esteban walked over to the bar and started pouring hefty glasses of that sweet Ecuadorian rum for all of us. We toasted to a fantastic trip, amazing new friends, and always remembering the good times! After dinner, we walked down Main Street to a large stage that was set up for a DJ and several performers. Dancing and drinking in the streets with the locals was a joyous time. And we learned about the many effigy’s seen around town. The effigy’s were typically straw dolls meant to symbolize all the pains, problems, and issues a person carried throughout the year. These effigy’s would be tossed into bonfires to burn away the problems of the past and move forward into a better and brighter new year! One little boy made his to resemble the hulk. I wondered what kind of problems that kid encountered over the year…

As the loud music carried on, we prepared to countdown. New Year’s hit and we shared hugs all around. But that wasn’t the end of things! A few of us who were still standing after such a long day that was both physically and emotionally taxing headed out to a local club to dance the night away! What a way to bring in 2022.