Northern Isabela Island and Fernandina
Those of us who rose with the sun and, with binoculars glued to our faces, searched back and forth across the choppy waters, were rewarded. Noddy terns, Galápagos shearwaters and dark-rumped petrels were observed along with a few very busy and difficult to follow common dolphins. Following our breakfast buffet we gathered in the bridge and counted down, with Captain Juan Robalino and the GPS, as we crossed the equator. Naturalist Ernesto began his kayak safety briefing and was constantly interrupted; from the bow we spotted a dozen Mola mola and then a Bryde’s whale, which we briefly tried to follow. Not a bad start to what turned out to be an utterly fabulous day!
We dropped anchor in the calm waters off Punta Vicente Roca, and soon embarked into the Zodiacs and kayaks and zoomed off (under either outboard motor power or our own paddle power) to explore the shore line at the base of the spectacular cliffs of Volcan Ecuador. Our outing coincided exactly with the lowest tide and hence this area was at its most beautiful this morning. Sea turtles popped their heads up every few minutes, we watched our first flightless cormorant hop among the lava rocks, using his tiny wings for balance, and dive into the water to search for bottom dwelling fish and octopus, and six speeding penguins chased inch long fish in erratic loops right next to our Zodiac. A six foot Mola mola leapt out of the water, landed with a splash and then leapt again and again. Only a few of us, those who happened to be looking towards this odd, leaping flat fish saw the spectacle, “the flying tortilla” as Naturalist Daniel Sanchez said, but we all saw the strange pelagic sunfish, the mola mola, today as there were tens of them in the area. They can be spotted from a fair distance and easily recognized by their wide triangular fin breaking the water’s surface. Perhaps most lovely of all this morning, were the intertidal sponges, sea fans, anemones, cup corals and other invertebrates, of many bright colors and varied textures, that lined the lava rocks and were exposed by the low tide.
We wiggled into our wet suits and geared up for snorkeling from the Zodiacs. Fantastic! Sea turtles and penguins and fish of all sizes; there was so much to see that we barely noticed the cool water and the hour we spent swimming zipped by quickly. We warmed up and replenished ourselves with a magnificent traditional Ecuadorian buffet lunch and a siesta.
In the afternoon we hiked along a lava trail at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island. We were rewarded with close looks (and countless excellent chances for photography) of marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, very young and extremely cute sea lion pups etc. The brilliantly white, bleached bones of a whale fascinated us, and we returned to the ship as the sun set in an orange glow. Our own personal inner glow of contentment did not set however; a perfect day like the one we had today, will remain in our memories for a very long time to come.
Those of us who rose with the sun and, with binoculars glued to our faces, searched back and forth across the choppy waters, were rewarded. Noddy terns, Galápagos shearwaters and dark-rumped petrels were observed along with a few very busy and difficult to follow common dolphins. Following our breakfast buffet we gathered in the bridge and counted down, with Captain Juan Robalino and the GPS, as we crossed the equator. Naturalist Ernesto began his kayak safety briefing and was constantly interrupted; from the bow we spotted a dozen Mola mola and then a Bryde’s whale, which we briefly tried to follow. Not a bad start to what turned out to be an utterly fabulous day!
We dropped anchor in the calm waters off Punta Vicente Roca, and soon embarked into the Zodiacs and kayaks and zoomed off (under either outboard motor power or our own paddle power) to explore the shore line at the base of the spectacular cliffs of Volcan Ecuador. Our outing coincided exactly with the lowest tide and hence this area was at its most beautiful this morning. Sea turtles popped their heads up every few minutes, we watched our first flightless cormorant hop among the lava rocks, using his tiny wings for balance, and dive into the water to search for bottom dwelling fish and octopus, and six speeding penguins chased inch long fish in erratic loops right next to our Zodiac. A six foot Mola mola leapt out of the water, landed with a splash and then leapt again and again. Only a few of us, those who happened to be looking towards this odd, leaping flat fish saw the spectacle, “the flying tortilla” as Naturalist Daniel Sanchez said, but we all saw the strange pelagic sunfish, the mola mola, today as there were tens of them in the area. They can be spotted from a fair distance and easily recognized by their wide triangular fin breaking the water’s surface. Perhaps most lovely of all this morning, were the intertidal sponges, sea fans, anemones, cup corals and other invertebrates, of many bright colors and varied textures, that lined the lava rocks and were exposed by the low tide.
We wiggled into our wet suits and geared up for snorkeling from the Zodiacs. Fantastic! Sea turtles and penguins and fish of all sizes; there was so much to see that we barely noticed the cool water and the hour we spent swimming zipped by quickly. We warmed up and replenished ourselves with a magnificent traditional Ecuadorian buffet lunch and a siesta.
In the afternoon we hiked along a lava trail at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island. We were rewarded with close looks (and countless excellent chances for photography) of marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, very young and extremely cute sea lion pups etc. The brilliantly white, bleached bones of a whale fascinated us, and we returned to the ship as the sun set in an orange glow. Our own personal inner glow of contentment did not set however; a perfect day like the one we had today, will remain in our memories for a very long time to come.
