All in all, there were 15 (safe, lifejacket-wearing) passengers on the 25' wooden boat heading out to the island. Lacking the motor power to really get up on plane, we were splashing through the chop, our island destination growing larger by the minute. Although the air was warm, the breeze and water were fairly cool, and we were glad when they hauled out a sheet of weatherproof plastic to help keep us dry.
During the voyage out, our guides -- now two fisherman operating the boat, plus Victor -- talked a little bit about the islands, a little more about the locos, and brought out a few starfish picked off the bottom of the sound. Unfortunately, between the puttering of the boat motor, and the motorboat pace of their spanish syllables, we didn't catch much of their speech. We were still just thrilled to be on a boat, heading to where we wanted to be.
Pulling up to the first island, Isla Choros, was something like being gradually brought closer and closer, and eventually being stuck right in the middle of the coolest zoo exhibit you've ever seen. One rocky bluffs on either side of the boat were dozens of sea lions! One, el macho (the alpha-male) clearly towered over all the others (mostly hembres -- females), with a head the size of a grand-prize winning pumpkin. This thing was huge.
El Macho:
Mostly, they behaved fairly similar to their Pier 39-inhabiting brethren that we see in San Francisco, but they were soooo close. No binoculars required here. There were multiple ages and sizes, and when they barked, you could practically smell their fish breath (and you could certainly see bloody fish remnants in a few of their mouths).
On bluffs above the sea lions (or sea wolves, if you take the direct translation from spanish), were hundreds of nesting boobies. Complete with their beady eyes, seemingly overflexible necks, and blue/gray feet, the watched over us as we motored into and then out of the rocky cove.
Backtracking a bit, but much closer to the shoreline, we caught sight of some black and white creatures scrambling along the shoreline. Pinguinos!
We got our first sights of some of Humboldt's Penguins along the low rocks of the island. Humboldt's Penguins are some of the northernmost penguins, found farther north of Magellan's Penguins that we'd seen in Punta Arenas. Despite the human preference for shellfish in the region (or at least the season), Humboldt's Penguins prefer the schools of fish that hang out in the currents that swirl around the islands.
Moving a bit farther down the shoreline, our guides began pointing out penguins high on rocky bluffs and standing along gravelly trails. Penguins can climb! And climb quite well, considering how unadapted they seem for land. At a couple times, we saw them scrambling, hopping, flopping and bouncing up the loose rocks and boulders on the face of the island. Now that is cute.
Jumping back to my previous zoo analogy, Isla Choros looks like the most perfect rocky island replica you've ever seen. Craggy bluffs, archways, outcropping islands. It was fantastic.
Before moving on to Isla Damas, we were treated with a few more documentary-perfect natural moments: A juvenile sea lion jumped in the water to chase the boat (only to receive a harsh barking scolding from its mother), we pulled into a natural archway bound by many hundreds of boobies and containing many hundreds of a local type of rock bass, and we saw a jelly fish cruising alongside a bed of kelp.
Isla Choros Pictures:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/555610380rtRVet
The wildlife of Isla Choros was matched in splendor by starkness of Isla Damas. People are allowed in small numbers onto the island of Isla Damas (to restrict these numbers is the reason that you must register with CONAF -- the park service -- before heading out on a boat). So we pulled up to the pier in perhaps the most beautiful setting that I'd ever seen. The waters , rimmed by a crystalline white beach, were fairly shallow, with remarkable clarity, and in the afternoon sun, reflected a brilliant blue.
We got off the boat, dropped our lifevests, and followed Victor and the group around for a quick tour of the island. Despite its tropical-looking waters around it, the island itself is quite desolate. Even when up in the mountains just east of Vicuna, we didn't see nearly as many different types of cactus (maybe our eyes were too narrowly focused on the rocky road...).
A hike to the highest point on the island, which is also home to the lighthouse, gave us another spectacular 360 degrees of views.
A few of those degrees:
Plus a few others:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/555610259IgnccC
Fully satisfied after an incredible day of socializing, scenery, and sun, we drove back to La Serena.
Still quite full of delicious seafood from lunch, we opted for a light dinner from a nearby cafe. And still full of amazing sea sights from the afternoon, we decided to skip a trip up to the mountain observatories and instead enjoy a relaxing night.
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