Fernandina and Isabela Islands
After breakfast we visited Fernandina Island (Narborough), an imposing volcano rising to nearly 5,000 ft. / 1520 m. in elevation, one of the most active volcanoes in the world and the world's largest completely pristine island.
Our landing site for the morning at Punta Espinosa was overwhelming. Dozens of big and colorful male marine iguanas were basking on the dark lava, showing off to the females; many young sea lions were playing in the tide pools, while flightless cormorants and sea turtles were here and there.
While some of us took a walk along the shoreline, over solid black slabs of "ropy" lava (referred to by the Hawaiian term "Pahoehoe"), other groups took the long walk over pahoe-hoe lava until reaching the imposing “AA” lava flow, with sharp and impressive ridges that make it impossible for anyone to walk on.
After enjoying the landing site, it was time to see the underwater world, so we went for a refreshing snorkel along the lava coastline of Fernandina, where we were greeted by sea turtles, marine iguanas, a couple of sea lions that delighted us with their presence, and of course many different species of fish, sea urchins and diamond rays.
After a really good lunch we went across Bolivar Channel, which separates Fernandina and Isabela, to reach Ecuador Volcano on Isabela Island. Most of this spectacular shield volcano, which is bisected by the Equator, collapsed and slumped away into the ocean, leaving fascinating views of the inner caldera wall and the caldera floor.
As soon as we dropped anchor at the southern part of the caldera named Punta Vicente Roca, we went for a long Zodiac ride along the base of the imposing cliffs, where we spotted our first Galápagos fur seals, many of them very young and playful. We also saw the famous Galápagos penguins, flightless cormorants, sea turtles, marine iguanas and even the awkward-looking sun fish, or Mola–Mola, that always surprise visitors, not only by their size but also by the peculiar way they swim and sunbathe on the surface.
But the day was not over yet, as we soon crossed the Equator with a special celebration, as King Neptune visited us to make sure our young explorers were obeying their parents and listening to their naturalists.
With the equatorial sunset and Wolf Volcano in the background, we ended up our second day of the voyage in these magnificent and always fascinating Enchanted Islands.
