Punta Vicente Roca & Punta Espinosa
As usual, today we were investing time from early in the morning to navigate the open ocean on the northern side of Isabela Island expecting to have some findings, mostly hoping for whales. Our hope was rewarded when we had the first sighting of dolphins. They were rather distant from the National Geographic Islander but soon things changed. It was as if they were curious, so they came over to us. Minutes after their arrival, while we were still recovering from this mesmerizing moment; we were shocked again, for just in front of the ship were no less than 60 short finned pilot whales. Later we would discover there were two pods with at least 100 individuals each, plus no less than 800 bottled nose dolphins.
It was hard to believe those whales would remain as if they were expecting us. Half an hour later the pilot whales would reveal themselves when they finally moved - swimming through a diffusion zone - very rich in nutrients and therefore rich in plankton and of course fish. It was refreshing for the soul to be surrounded by so many sea mammals at the same time.
If that was not enough, right after crossing the equatorial line we encountered several pacific sun fish. During the snorkeling session the flightless cormorants took good care of us, providing tremendous entertainment. It also helped that the temperatures were extremely pleasant.
Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island made a deep impression on all of us (including the naturalists). The settings that were displayed today will remain in our minds forever, and the feeling of walking on the most pristine island of the world, planted seeds that will grow huge in our hearts.
As usual, today we were investing time from early in the morning to navigate the open ocean on the northern side of Isabela Island expecting to have some findings, mostly hoping for whales. Our hope was rewarded when we had the first sighting of dolphins. They were rather distant from the National Geographic Islander but soon things changed. It was as if they were curious, so they came over to us. Minutes after their arrival, while we were still recovering from this mesmerizing moment; we were shocked again, for just in front of the ship were no less than 60 short finned pilot whales. Later we would discover there were two pods with at least 100 individuals each, plus no less than 800 bottled nose dolphins.
It was hard to believe those whales would remain as if they were expecting us. Half an hour later the pilot whales would reveal themselves when they finally moved - swimming through a diffusion zone - very rich in nutrients and therefore rich in plankton and of course fish. It was refreshing for the soul to be surrounded by so many sea mammals at the same time.
If that was not enough, right after crossing the equatorial line we encountered several pacific sun fish. During the snorkeling session the flightless cormorants took good care of us, providing tremendous entertainment. It also helped that the temperatures were extremely pleasant.
Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island made a deep impression on all of us (including the naturalists). The settings that were displayed today will remain in our minds forever, and the feeling of walking on the most pristine island of the world, planted seeds that will grow huge in our hearts.
