Northern Isabela and Fernandina
By 7:00 am I was already positive that today was going to be a superb and totally successful day… Very early we found a pod of well dispersed, feeding and leaping common dolphins and navigated among them on a azure and lovely calm sea. The sun was rising, an orange globe, behind us and the nearly full moon dropping towards the horizon ahead. I risked a shipwide wake-up call and was delighted that it paid off: we stayed with the dolphins for about 20 minutes and then spotted the wispy blow of a Bryde’s whale mother and calf pair. This was all long before breakfast was even announced! At breakfast, among many options, we tasted delicious “ayacas,” a local tamale, made with plantain banana flour and wrapped in plantain leaves.
Captain Robalino called me by radio: he had slowed the ship and maneuvered alongside three huge mola molas, ocean sun fish. We could see their tall, swaying dorsal fins, as they paddled near the surface. In Galápagos these large, vertically flattened fish get up to 6 or 7 feet in diameter and weigh a couple thousand pounds. They feed on jellies and other invertebrates and are often rather shy. Happily, these three were not shy, and we all got a good look at them.
We loaded into the Zodiacs and explored along the rugged coast line. We found the largest marine iguanas in the archipelago, endemic fur seals once almost decimated for their pelts, the two species of flightless sea birds – penguins and cormorants, and we enjoyed the spectacular scenery at the base of the 1000 foot high cliffs of Punta Vicente Roca. Later, many of us wiggled into our wet suits and spent the next 45 minutes snorkeling with sea turtles, an octopus and a couple of penguins.
After lunch and a needed siesta, (in lieu of siesta a lot of the younger guests played cards in the Islander’s comfortable lounge) we disembarked on the black basalt shore of Punta Espinoza (“spiny point”), Fernandina. Here we found more enormous, lethargic marine iguanas, sea lions, a species of lava lizard found only on this island, many brilliant red sally light foot crabs, penguins, cormorants….the list goes on and on…. Yep, a full and satisfying day for all of us on Lindblad’s ship, Islander, in her brand new home: the enchanted Galápagos Islands.
By 7:00 am I was already positive that today was going to be a superb and totally successful day… Very early we found a pod of well dispersed, feeding and leaping common dolphins and navigated among them on a azure and lovely calm sea. The sun was rising, an orange globe, behind us and the nearly full moon dropping towards the horizon ahead. I risked a shipwide wake-up call and was delighted that it paid off: we stayed with the dolphins for about 20 minutes and then spotted the wispy blow of a Bryde’s whale mother and calf pair. This was all long before breakfast was even announced! At breakfast, among many options, we tasted delicious “ayacas,” a local tamale, made with plantain banana flour and wrapped in plantain leaves.
Captain Robalino called me by radio: he had slowed the ship and maneuvered alongside three huge mola molas, ocean sun fish. We could see their tall, swaying dorsal fins, as they paddled near the surface. In Galápagos these large, vertically flattened fish get up to 6 or 7 feet in diameter and weigh a couple thousand pounds. They feed on jellies and other invertebrates and are often rather shy. Happily, these three were not shy, and we all got a good look at them.
We loaded into the Zodiacs and explored along the rugged coast line. We found the largest marine iguanas in the archipelago, endemic fur seals once almost decimated for their pelts, the two species of flightless sea birds – penguins and cormorants, and we enjoyed the spectacular scenery at the base of the 1000 foot high cliffs of Punta Vicente Roca. Later, many of us wiggled into our wet suits and spent the next 45 minutes snorkeling with sea turtles, an octopus and a couple of penguins.
After lunch and a needed siesta, (in lieu of siesta a lot of the younger guests played cards in the Islander’s comfortable lounge) we disembarked on the black basalt shore of Punta Espinoza (“spiny point”), Fernandina. Here we found more enormous, lethargic marine iguanas, sea lions, a species of lava lizard found only on this island, many brilliant red sally light foot crabs, penguins, cormorants….the list goes on and on…. Yep, a full and satisfying day for all of us on Lindblad’s ship, Islander, in her brand new home: the enchanted Galápagos Islands.
