Isla Española
We are at the beginning of our expedition; the sun is shining, heralding the start of a great day full of adventures and discoveries. Española Island is the oldest island in the Galápagos. These features can be seen on the shape of the rocks; smooth, rounded boulders are signs of age and erosion in rocks.
In the morning we landed at Gardner Bay and explored in different ways. Some of us explored the white sandy beach dotted with sea lions and turquoise water. Others had the opportunity to go and explore the undersea world wearing snorkeling gear. Finally some of us explored the coastline from sea kayaks!
In the afternoon we repositioned the ship and anchored off Punta Suarez. This place is located on the northwestern side of Isla Española. This island is flat and rocky, bushes grow everywhere. These bushes offer some shelter for inland breeders like the blue-footed boobies and waved albatrosses.
Here at Punta Suarez we disembarked for a long walk in order to explore the seabird colonies. At the time of landing we were greeted by a group of sea lions and marine iguanas. Once we left the sandy shore we reached the Nazca booby colony. These birds are nesting by the thousands; some of them are busy incubating eggs and others are feeding their chicks. This is a very important event in the Galápagos because the cool, nutrient-rich waters are arriving from Antarctica and it gives opportunities for life in this tropical archipelago.
