We dropped anchor and radioed our arrival to the authorities so that environmental control, immigration, customs, and other officials could come aboard and complete the entry process. We were not allowed to disembark until we received official clearance for the Galapagos to avoid disrupting the unique ecosystem.

The inspection went more smoothly than we had expected, considering the information we had gathered online and in Panama. All in all, we received our permit. We paid the fee for a 14-day stay on Santa Cruz Island. Permits for accessing all the islands were prohibitively expensive, so we planned to use Santa Cruz as our base and visit the other islands via local boats and tours.

We spent our first day exploring the town. By the time we had completed all the procedures, it was too late to go anywhere else, so we used the time to get acquainted with the local tours and offerings. There were plenty of tourists, of course. The vehicles were mostly Toyota pickups, with an occasional Nissan. There were numerous restaurants with exorbitant prices, various tourist shops, and a few tour agencies. The agencies also offered diving tours, as fishing and independent diving are prohibited here.


Near the main dock was a well-stocked shop, surprisingly better than many Caribbean shops. Reading a Galapagos guidebook, I realized that Ecuador had significantly improved its financial situation in recent years, emerging from its crisis and now progressing well.

The main dock was often crowded with sea lions (or “lobos marinos,” as the locals call them) lying and sleeping on the benches, a real attraction for tourists. The water was so clear that we could easily see rays or turtles swimming by, and there were also many iguanas. The iguanas here are black, probably due to the volcanic rocks, their skin adapting to the color of the stones for better camouflage. They are excellent swimmers and divers.

A major attraction for the animals was the local fish market, where discarded fish remains attracted both sea lions and pelicans, which were abundant in the area. Everyone seemed accustomed to each other, with the animals not bothering the people and vice versa.

Sea lions have a tendency to climb onto boats to rest. They can easily jump a meter or even a meter and a half out of the water and climb aboard if they find it appealing. Everyone, including immigration officials, warned us to properly block all access points to the boat to prevent them from boarding. When they do climb aboard, they usually just lounge around and, while resting, often relieve themselves. Since they belong to the same mammal group as seals, the saying “shitting like a seal” applies to them as well. When this happens, it’s a real mess, especially if you’ve been away all day and the equatorial sun has baked it onto the deck.

Since the catamaran had two sets of steps down to the water, this was an easy invitation for the sea lions, so we created a barrier of thick rope and piled up all the fenders to prevent them from getting on. We boarded the water taxi sideways, which was quite interesting since our deck was a little over a meter above the water. We had three steps to descend into the dinghy, which wasn’t always stable in the waves. When no one was around, it was easy to jump in, but with people in the dinghy, it wasn’t a good idea.
Tomorrow was a new day, and we planned to start exploring the island.