When we enjoy exploring the world, there are times within the journey that invite us to get up early in the morning and just watch a breathtaking sunset with a cup of coffee in hand.
From the National Geographic Islander, large prickly pear cacti are visible along the cliffs of Española as the occasional Pacific green sea turtles pop their head out of the water for a breath of air.
After breakfast we headed to snorkel from our Zodiacs along the coast of Gardner Islet. Young Galápagos sea lion pups decided that we are somewhat strange in the water with our masks and flippers as they swim circles around us blowing bubbles of air right on our faces. Small diamond stingrays hover over the seafloor as they upturn the sandy bottom for small crustaceans to eat. As we head further along the vertical cliff, schools of razor surgeonfish are encountered grazing the algae beds on the rocky reefs that disappear into the abyss. After snorkeling we had something ready for beachgoers, where they are able to watch the comedy show of life as sea lion pups lumber back and forth at the beach looking for their mothers who are most likely busy foraging for food out in the open ocean. As we return mid-day to the ship from Española, many fearless Hood mockingbirds come offer us farewell by making noises and being territorial among the themselves.
Our afternoon navigation took us to the only other visitor site on Española, known as Suarez Point. During this full moon the waves are slightly higher and the coast is awash in sea foam. Since the dock is under big waves crashing over it, we disembarked on some lava boulders that allowed us to have a dry landing onto the island. Along this hike over rocky terrain, most of us were surprised to find that the dense population of wildlife does not even move as we walk among them.
Marine iguanas are brightly colored with green and red patterns upon their bodies are also known as Christmas iguanas and appear to be digging holes for nesting grounds. Large colonies of Nazca boobies were found along the southern cliffs, and we also found swallow-tailed gulls. As we walked, some mist was felt by some as the waves are compressed into a crack in the basalt coastline and vapor is shot up into the air, this was a blow-hole. Some found this is a moment to just sit down and relax as the waves crush into the air, while a few new arrivals of waved albatrosses fly across the sky. The sea lions seem to pose for a silhouette picture as the sun goes down in the background framed by breaking waves.
