Overnight we cruised to a small island called Chinese Hat. I was up fairly early and came to the sun deck and enjoyed a coffee and chat with Matthias (hunky and very nice Swiss guy). We got to see a couple of frigate birds perched on the sonar masts. Then, another bird comes and starts feeding the 2 birds perched. Obviously mama was looking after her kids. We spent some time watching this and enjoying the scenery and taking pictures and all of a sudden we see a manta ray jump out of the water about 25 feet from the boat. This all happened before 7:00 am. Very cool! It pays to get up early.

We spent the morning hiking on the island. We had a wet landing from the dingy (we had to jump out of the boat in knee high water) and came upon a couple of sea lions basking in the sun on the beach. Then we saw iguanas, crabs, lava lizards, penguins swimming. We spent about an hour hiking in the blistering sun. I couldn't wait to get my shoes off and get them in the ocean. Then it was back to the boat for 1/2 hour to change into our bathing suits to go snorkelling. Vic and I brought our own masks and snorkels. Vic's mask was a prescription mask. So we get to the area we were going to snorkel in Vic went to rinse out his mask over the side of the dingy. Just at that moment a wave hit the dingy and he was almost in the drink. I looked over and all I saw were his legs straight in the air. Tee hee! He was lucky he didn't fall in but, unfortunately his mask disappeared into the ocean. So now he doesn't have a mask. One of the Canadian ladies wasn't comfortable and was in the dingy so he used hers. But he couldn't see a thing because he couldn't wear his glasses. He was pissed, naturally. So I told him to just point the go pro camera and he could watch what he couldn't see later. Oh, good idea! But, as his luck would have it, the go pro didn't work even though he tested it last night. I saw lots of neat looking fish and even swam with a sea lion for about 2 seconds! We had lunch on the boat and then we sailed to Rabidia island and anchored in a protected bay. This island is known for its red sand beaches.

Chinese hat is a tiny Island just off the southeastern tip of Santiago Island and is less than a quarter of 1 sq km in size. It is a fairly recent volcanic cone, which accounts for its descriptive name, it has the shape of a down-facing Chinese hat.

After lunch we sailed to the tiny island of Rabida and then we went snorkelling again and explored the island's red sand beaches and a salt water lagoon. When we landed on the beach there was, of course, a sea lion lying on it. We learned about the vegetation and saw more lizards, insects, birds (a white-cheeked pintail duck, frigate birds, a Galápagos dove and a mockingbird), and a couple of wading flamingos in a lagoon. It's fairly green here at the moment as it's the end of the rainy season but some trees have lost their leaves and apparently it will soon be mostly brown as the dry season begins. We went back to the boat and had a lecture about ocean currents as they affect the Galápagos. It was interesting but as I looked around the room I saw a very tired bunch of adventurers. Just as I thought everyone was going to fall asleep the dinner bell sounded and we enjoyed another great meal. I must say this trip is not very conducive to partying. By the end of the day it's about all you can do to keep your eyes open. Of course, I'm always up for a good party but no-one seems to be interested even though there are several young people aboard. It's probably a good thing, though, as the days are very long and full of activities. It seems like we just finish one activity and are getting prepared for the next. We are not sailing overnight tonight as our next destination is only about 2 hours away. So there will be no engine noise tonight, especially for those whose rooms are on the lower deck.

Rabida (aka Jervis) bears the name of the convent of Rabida where Columbus left his son during his voyage to the Americas. It has an area of 4.9 km² and a maximum altitude of 367 meters. The high amount of iron contained in the lava at Rabida give a distinctive red color to the sand of its Nine species of Finches have been reported in this island.  The island has a distinctive look, with its red sand beach, cliffs, and steep slopes of volcanic rock.

I'm loving this trip but it's very hot. I look forward to the snorkelling just to be able to cool down. The gorgeous fish are a bonus! By the end of the hikes I'm soaking wet from sweat. I know, it's not pretty but all thought of getting gussied up has flown out the window due to the heat and humidity. It's been at least 30 degrees here every day. I felt like I had put in a full day of activity by 10:00 am today.