Today we woke up at Espanola Island, one of the oldest islands in the Galapagos archipelago. The first visitor site, Gardner Bay, looked very appealing with a white sandy beach, turquoise color waters, and black basaltic rocks in the distance. Before the outings, our guests attended a briefing about safety and Instructions for snorkeling and right afterwards they got their snorkeling gear ready for the adventure! I was fortunate to go with one of Zodiacs for deep water snorkeling. We went around Gardner Islet on the protected side where lots of colorful fish were spotted and on top of that we were enjoying the time with young playful Galapagos sea lions. What a delight! Several of our guests took the option to snorkel off the beach, an alternative for those who haven’t been in the water for a while.
The beach at Gardner bay is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and today it was spectacular. The sun was shining, the beautiful clear blue sky matched the surrounding waters, it was incredibly quiet with a gentle breeze, and we were joined by our faithful companions the Galapagos sea lions. There were great opportunities for amazing pictures.
We went back on board, had time for a shower, and enjoyed a delicious meal. Ecuadorian dishes were prepared and it was a great way to start an awesome week on board the National Geographic Islander. Our Captain, Patricio Jaramillo, repositioned our ship towards the next visitor site and soon after leaving we heard the announcement: Dolphins at the front of the ship! We followed the dolphins and got to see them very close. What a great experience! After a short navigation we dropped anchor at Punta Suarez. Today we had the first talk from our artist in residence, Meg Sodano, entitled, “Drawing the Natural World”. This took place because of our art program on board this month – “Make Art, Make a Difference”. This program wants to bring our guests close to art in a pristine environment and bring you close to the animals through art.
This afternoon we enjoyed a great hike at Punta Suarez. Although the terrain is covered by boulders, it is always worth the effort as this place is covered by wildlife. From the first moment you set your feet on this visitor site, you are transferred to a different world. This is like the Garden of Eden where the animals are not afraid of you, ignore you and allows you to feel like you are a part of nature. What a blessing! We got to see Galapagos sea lions - males, females, pups and newborns. It was very special to see the bond between the female and the new born, to hear the baby’s voice, the recognition through the smell and how patient and protective the female was! We got to see many colorful marine iguanas, Espanola mocking birds, yellow warbles, Darwin finches, swallowed-tailed gulls, Nazca boobies, and the Waved albatross. It is difficult to describe how unique this place is, so you have to come and experience it for yourself!
We came back with awesome memories of this great day and to top everything, we got a great talk from our Certified National Geographic Photo Instructor, Jonathan Aguas, who showed our guests how to use their cameras and learn how to take better pictures.
This is an expedition ship full of interesting activities, briefings, and many learning opportunities. This is a trip of a lifetime!
