About one week into our program we were given a day off. There were so many options for things to do! Some people were just going to relax at the hotel. Others were going to walk through Lima to do some shopping. There were some that went to a art museum. So what did a few of us decide to do? To go for a boat tour of the Palomino Islands.

Joints in these layers of sedimentary rocks.

That sounds completely harmless but on this tour we would be jumping into the ice cold Pacific Ocean (61°F)! During their Winter! To swim with sea lions!

The Humboldt (Peru) current brings up cold water from the Antarctic. We would be jumping into this.

Off we went on our day off. The seas were very rough, the air was foggy, but spirits were high. On our way to Palomino Island we passed other islands where we saw things like Peru’s version of Alcatraz (no longer in operation), pelicans, cormorants, Humboldt penguins, other birds, and of course sea lions! It is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 8,000 sea lions on this island. As you approach the island, all you can hear and smell are sea lions. Unfortunately due to rough seas and poor visibility my pictures did not come out too well. I will try to upload some when I can pull some off of my camera after I get home.

As we approached the island it was time to put on our partial wet suits and jump into the water. I stood on the side of the boat with my 360 camera in hand and without hesitating jumped right into the frigid water. At times it was hard to focus on the sea lions as most of my energy was spent fighting the waves crashing over my head and the currents. The 15 minutes in the water felt like an eternity. When it was time to get back on the boat I tried to use my frozen arms to pull myself up onto a boat that was moving quite significantly into the waves. I did make it back on the boat (spoiler) and once we returned to the hotel it took the rest of the day to warm back up. It was worth it though.

This video was taken with my 360 camera and it works best when viewed on a cell phone or tablet as you can pan the video. When I get home I’m going to try to upload it again to see if I can get it to be less grainy.

These images came from manipulation of my 360 video.