Isabela & Fernandina Island
It was early in the morning, perhaps way too early and dark for the most of our guests to be awake yet. For some reason I lost my sleep, and I don’t even know yet why I thought that visiting the bridge at that point would get my sleep back. Visiting the bridge at anytime of the day or night is one of the many perks we have on our ship, the National Geographic Islander. I am a civilian with no navy training prior to my engagement as a Naturalist for the Galápagos, but I could clearly understand at that moment the reason why somebody would pursue a career as a navy officer.
I stepped itside and it was so quiet and calm that you could have sensed every movement. The waves were splashing the bow of the ship creating a symphony of sounds that are hard to describe. The motion of the ship at the bridge is entirely different than the motion felt anywhere else on board, and finally the room feeds you with the great feeling of control. The dimmed morning light started to appear and the outline of Isabela Island was now visible beyond the radar screen.
I made an optional wake up call for anybody who would like to join us to search for marine mammals; however I was tempted to push the general call button, so everyone could see how wonderful the sunrises can be in this part of the world. Surprisingly, many guests showed up shortly after my call, as if they were waiting for it to happen. The gentle ocean breeze slowly got us all fully awake, preparing us for the adventure yet to come.
The rest of the day was full of events, with great sightings of the now famous Ocean sun fish, turtles, sea lions, penguins and flightless cormorants.
Isabela Island and Fernandina lived up to their reputations as being the most pristine and beautiful locations in the Galápagos Islands.
It was early in the morning, perhaps way too early and dark for the most of our guests to be awake yet. For some reason I lost my sleep, and I don’t even know yet why I thought that visiting the bridge at that point would get my sleep back. Visiting the bridge at anytime of the day or night is one of the many perks we have on our ship, the National Geographic Islander. I am a civilian with no navy training prior to my engagement as a Naturalist for the Galápagos, but I could clearly understand at that moment the reason why somebody would pursue a career as a navy officer.
I stepped itside and it was so quiet and calm that you could have sensed every movement. The waves were splashing the bow of the ship creating a symphony of sounds that are hard to describe. The motion of the ship at the bridge is entirely different than the motion felt anywhere else on board, and finally the room feeds you with the great feeling of control. The dimmed morning light started to appear and the outline of Isabela Island was now visible beyond the radar screen.
I made an optional wake up call for anybody who would like to join us to search for marine mammals; however I was tempted to push the general call button, so everyone could see how wonderful the sunrises can be in this part of the world. Surprisingly, many guests showed up shortly after my call, as if they were waiting for it to happen. The gentle ocean breeze slowly got us all fully awake, preparing us for the adventure yet to come.
The rest of the day was full of events, with great sightings of the now famous Ocean sun fish, turtles, sea lions, penguins and flightless cormorants.
Isabela Island and Fernandina lived up to their reputations as being the most pristine and beautiful locations in the Galápagos Islands.
