Daphne & Bartolomé Islands
Our day started with a circumnavigation of the islets known as Daphne Major and Daphne Minor. These two islets are tuff cones that emerged from the bottom of the sea after several successive volcanic eruptions. Daphne Major, the larger of the two, has become very famous, thanks to research on finches to which Peter and Rosemary Grant have devoted more than thirty years of their time. The Grants have published numerous articles and books based on the evolutionary studies they have conducted on Daphne Major. We sailed around Daphne Major and observed frigate birds, blue-footed boobies, Galápagos shearwaters, brown noddy terns and Galapagos sea lions while learning some of the details of the finch research. We also observed the steep cliffs of Daphne Minor which makes this smaller islet look like a square box stranded in the middle of the ocean.
We had a bountiful breakfast buffet while the Captain repositioned the National Geographic Islander back to Baltra where we swam and jumped off the ship into the warm blue waters of the pacific. While waiting for the rest of our guests to arrive, we had a great deal of fun! A couple of us joined Roxana for a session of stretching and pilates on the sun deck while frigates soared high above.
As soon as the incoming guests boarded the ship we set off towards the west. We had a smooth two hour navigation and then arrived at Bartolomé Island. Soon we headed to the shore and went for our first snorkeling outing. Our exploration of the marine environment was amazing; we saw sea turtles, sharks, and lots of varieties of fish. After swimming and snorkeling we returned to the ship to change into dry clothes and then climbed to the top of Bartolomé. We were delighted by the colorful sunset; the warm colors of the dying afternoon filled our senses and spirit with joy and peace. It was a magnificent way to end a gorgeous day.
Our day started with a circumnavigation of the islets known as Daphne Major and Daphne Minor. These two islets are tuff cones that emerged from the bottom of the sea after several successive volcanic eruptions. Daphne Major, the larger of the two, has become very famous, thanks to research on finches to which Peter and Rosemary Grant have devoted more than thirty years of their time. The Grants have published numerous articles and books based on the evolutionary studies they have conducted on Daphne Major. We sailed around Daphne Major and observed frigate birds, blue-footed boobies, Galápagos shearwaters, brown noddy terns and Galapagos sea lions while learning some of the details of the finch research. We also observed the steep cliffs of Daphne Minor which makes this smaller islet look like a square box stranded in the middle of the ocean.
We had a bountiful breakfast buffet while the Captain repositioned the National Geographic Islander back to Baltra where we swam and jumped off the ship into the warm blue waters of the pacific. While waiting for the rest of our guests to arrive, we had a great deal of fun! A couple of us joined Roxana for a session of stretching and pilates on the sun deck while frigates soared high above.
As soon as the incoming guests boarded the ship we set off towards the west. We had a smooth two hour navigation and then arrived at Bartolomé Island. Soon we headed to the shore and went for our first snorkeling outing. Our exploration of the marine environment was amazing; we saw sea turtles, sharks, and lots of varieties of fish. After swimming and snorkeling we returned to the ship to change into dry clothes and then climbed to the top of Bartolomé. We were delighted by the colorful sunset; the warm colors of the dying afternoon filled our senses and spirit with joy and peace. It was a magnificent way to end a gorgeous day.
