The sun shone for us on this expedition day, and the blue sky came too. All of this mixed with two amazing islands, Fernandina and Isabela on the western side of the archipelago, were great ingredients for a great day!
Fernandina was at its best. The light was perfect and we arrived at low tide, which happens to be the perfect time to observe marine iguanas in action! These unique reptiles are the only iguanas in the world that feed on algae. They leave the black lava rocks to enter the cold waters of Bolivar Canal, where algae grow. After a successful meal they come back to bask on the island in order to recover their heat. We found hundreds of iguanas, some in the water, some already adopting all different postures to sunbathe. Among the iguanas we had some others encounters as well. First we found a finch that jumped from one iguana to the next looking for parasites on their skin. Then we found several lava lizards standing on the iguana’s heads to get a good exposure to the sunlight. And finally we encountered a Galapagos racer who found protection by crawling under a pile of iguanas too!
We found a newborn sea lion with its mother, which got more than one smile from our guests for its cuteness. And at the end of the trail our last meeting was with a sea turtle that got trapped in a tide pool. This was a unique opportunity to have a close look at the beauty of this animal.
We came back to navigate to our next location on Isabela Island. We crossed Bolivar Canal, which is a very rich area. The waters are deep and cold, good conditions for marine mammals. At lunchtime we had the first surprise, a sperm whale resting on the surface! As we passed by it, the whale woke up and went under the water showing us its massive tale. We continued to our next location in Punta Vicente Roca. This is a unique place for sea turtles, and we snorkeled with dozens of them. Galapagos penguins came to complete the experience, and finally, flightless cormorants joined us in the water.
We came back to navigate north to cross the equator. King Neptune celebrated this important event with us by sending us some dolphins!
What else could be added to this day? Oh, yes - we were lucky enough to end the day with a green flash!
