Isabela and Fernandina Islands
We started our day looking for the titans of Poseidon‘s Kingdom. Yes, whales were the ones we wished to see as National Geographic Islander navigated the calm waters of the northeast side of Isabela Island. After crossing the Equator we dropped anchor at Punta Vicente Roca, a place like no other – giant iron colored cliffs surrounded the cove where we anchored.
Life abounded everywhere we looked. The waters around this area of Galápagos are bathed by the upwelling cells of the submarine Cromwell Current, bringing a wide variety of species in their most active stage. Turtles, fur sea lions, blue-footed boobies, other marine birds and a tremendous amount of fish welcomed us to their world. It was as if nature had planned to receive us today – we even encountered several of the rare ocean sun fish.
Our next outing was to explore the underwater wonders of this place; we knew that the excitement was only just beginning and refreshing waters were waiting for us. We had great visibility to see every detail below the water’s surface.
Our afternoon expedition took us to the youngest of the Galápagos Islands. During our navigation we searched for whales, and with luck we spotted two Bryde’s whales that allowed us to enjoy quite a unique show of tropical giants.
The island Fernandina was created by a young, restless volcano that emerged from the sea. It is still a place of frequent eruptions and the most active volcano in the Galápagos Islands.
But life in the Galápagos is evolving furiously. We see an example while watching marine iguanas return from their daily march down the beach to the sea. Some of the iguanas were basking, warming up to help them digest. This island is barren but alive. Walking here makes us feel as if we have stepped back in time and caught a glimpse of how the Galápagos were before humans arrived. Endemic and native species are plenty on this island and introduced species didn’t arrive until a few years ago.
The west side of the Galápagos archipelago has not only shared its wonders with us, but it invited us to become part of an incredible world.
