Our first complete day of exploration leaves us with a sense of awe at Española Island. One of our older islands, it appears to be arid and devoid of life at a distance, however, this is far from the truth. The surrounding ocean is highly productive this time of year, allowing for an abundance of life on the island. Galapagos sea lions swim among us as we snorkel along the coast in the morning. On the fine white sand Gardner Bay beach, we have young Galapagos hawks soaring overhead with Española mockingbird’s fliting between us. We leave the turquoise waters behind as we navigate into the afternoon and Punta Suarez. A late afternoon walk allows us to encounter Nazca boobies, red-billed tropicbirds, marine iguanas, sea lions, blue-footed boobies, and the majestic waved albatross. The late glow of the sunset falls upon an albatross feeding its young, with the avian species returning to their nesting areas, a wonderful end to this day.