Northern Isabela & Fernandina
We had expected to sleep in a bit this morning, but a large and energetic pod of common dolphins were spotted by Naturalist Ernesto and First Officer Fernando at sunrise, so I made what I hoped was a quiet but encouraging ship wide wake up call right at 0600. Our eager guests quickly emerged from their cabins, most with tousled hair and some still in their pajamas, and joined us on the bow. We had a fabulous show! These are acrobatic cetaceans and they leapt and spun and twirled and splashed into the water.
Soon after breakfast I spotted a wispy whale spout about a half mile ahead of us, and we all thundered to the bow again. We were lucky to get an excellent look at the entire dorsal area and fin of a Bryde’s whale before it hunched up and dove out of view and did not again return to us. We crossed the equator into the southern hemisphere with ceremony and certificates as we navigated beside the impressive, cross-sectioned Volcan Ecuador which collapsed and caused a powerful tsunami over 100,000 years ago.
Captain Pablo Garces anchored the National Geographic Islander off Punta Vicente Roca and our team of pangueros lowered our four Zodiacs for a cruise along the rough lava shoreline. We had a spectacular panga ride this morning; adorable penguins, flightless cormorants, roosting and diving blue-footed boobies, soaring frigates, charcoal colored noddy terns, huge and hatchling marine iguanas and sunning sea lions entertained us. Further out to sea we were delighted to find several 8 to 12 foot manta rays and more than a dozen pelagic sunfish or mola molas. Naturalist Daniel got superb underwater footage of one curious mola!
We squeezed in a snorkeling outing before lunch and watched sea turtles feeding off algae covered rocks and resting on the sandy bottom. Some of us spied a well camouflaged octopus and others watched a mortal battled between a hungry cormorant and a small, foot and a half long jeweled moray eel. The cormorant finally won and swallowed his prey.
After a well deserved siesta we disembarked on a small concrete dock at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island. The afternoon highlights were baby sea lions (yet again), a snake, hatchling iguanas, piles of adult iguanas and a nesting flightless cormorant. National Park warden Mauricio, who is accompanying us this week and reviewing the trails and visitor’s sites, discussed trail improvement options with our Naturalist team. We returned to the ship as the wind was picking up and dusk descending, everyone one of us full to our brim with content and satisfaction following this magical day in the Encantadas.
We had expected to sleep in a bit this morning, but a large and energetic pod of common dolphins were spotted by Naturalist Ernesto and First Officer Fernando at sunrise, so I made what I hoped was a quiet but encouraging ship wide wake up call right at 0600. Our eager guests quickly emerged from their cabins, most with tousled hair and some still in their pajamas, and joined us on the bow. We had a fabulous show! These are acrobatic cetaceans and they leapt and spun and twirled and splashed into the water.
Soon after breakfast I spotted a wispy whale spout about a half mile ahead of us, and we all thundered to the bow again. We were lucky to get an excellent look at the entire dorsal area and fin of a Bryde’s whale before it hunched up and dove out of view and did not again return to us. We crossed the equator into the southern hemisphere with ceremony and certificates as we navigated beside the impressive, cross-sectioned Volcan Ecuador which collapsed and caused a powerful tsunami over 100,000 years ago.
Captain Pablo Garces anchored the National Geographic Islander off Punta Vicente Roca and our team of pangueros lowered our four Zodiacs for a cruise along the rough lava shoreline. We had a spectacular panga ride this morning; adorable penguins, flightless cormorants, roosting and diving blue-footed boobies, soaring frigates, charcoal colored noddy terns, huge and hatchling marine iguanas and sunning sea lions entertained us. Further out to sea we were delighted to find several 8 to 12 foot manta rays and more than a dozen pelagic sunfish or mola molas. Naturalist Daniel got superb underwater footage of one curious mola!
We squeezed in a snorkeling outing before lunch and watched sea turtles feeding off algae covered rocks and resting on the sandy bottom. Some of us spied a well camouflaged octopus and others watched a mortal battled between a hungry cormorant and a small, foot and a half long jeweled moray eel. The cormorant finally won and swallowed his prey.
After a well deserved siesta we disembarked on a small concrete dock at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island. The afternoon highlights were baby sea lions (yet again), a snake, hatchling iguanas, piles of adult iguanas and a nesting flightless cormorant. National Park warden Mauricio, who is accompanying us this week and reviewing the trails and visitor’s sites, discussed trail improvement options with our Naturalist team. We returned to the ship as the wind was picking up and dusk descending, everyone one of us full to our brim with content and satisfaction following this magical day in the Encantadas.
