We awoke to a beautiful morning — the sun shining, the sky blue, the ocean very calm, and the islands gray with dormant plants. The contrast among the green shrubs covering the shoreline of the white sandy beach looked amazing; the black of the basaltic rock and the turquoise blue water gives Gardner Bay a beauty like no other visitor site. Our Captain dropped anchor in the bay, and after breakfast we disembarked to enjoy kayaking along the coast of the white sandy beach. Our first impressions included the bright color of Sally Lightfoot crabs on the black lava rocks, hood mockingbirds running by the beach, and a big colony of sea lions sleeping and resting. Afterwards we enjoyed swimming and snorkeling at Gardner Islet. We had a fun time swimming with playful sea lions and multicolored fish — we also saw many sea urchins, sea fans, sea stars, and corals.
In the afternoon we visited Punta Suarez, an incredible place full of wildlife. Many of the species found there are endemic to this area, such as the mockingbird. Lava lizards are big and very colorful; the marine iguanas are reddish and green. The waved albatross nests only here and no other place!
