Española
Today in our first full day in this remote place, we are to explore Española Island. The National Geographic Islander dropped anchor at beautiful Gardner Bay, a place with turquoise waters and white sands. Some of our early morning risers started enjoying this gorgeous coastline from our kayaks. It was a time to commune with nature… Later in the morning, we had our first opportunity to explore the underwater world of Gardner Bay. We set off with a group of deep-water snorkelers who for the first time had close encounters with one of the most popular species of the islands: the Galápagos sea lion. Showing an enormous curiosity and innocence, these young creatures won everyone’s heart. The sea temperature was on our side as it was rather pleasant, which allowed us to remain in the water for a while so that we could identify several fish species like the reef cornet fish, king angel and razor surgeon fish, striped salemas, giant hawkfish amongst many, many others…
The morning was not yet over, and we made time to visit the beautiful, white coralline beach of Gardner Bay. We could not believe our eyes when upon landing we discovered that the boulders we saw in the sand were not such but resting Galápagos sea lions instead! What a superb opportunity for practicing our photography skills, from beginners to pro’s… The sea lions were not the only inhabitants of the beach. Soon we were to realize that we were been watched by the curious and inquisitive Española mockingbirds. Totally fearless and ever busy, this bird species tends to dwell at ground level a lot! One could spend hours just watching them battle over the invisible borders that separate their territories!
Of course, with so much to see, time flies rather quickly, and it was soon time to return to the ship. On board, a new experience awaited for us, this time a culinary one: a typical Ecuadorian lunch was served today. Afterwards, a mandatory Ecuadorian siesta followed, helping us regain strength for the afternoon program.
After a short navigation, we anchored at Punta Suarez, west of Española. This is said to be one of the most impressive spots in the Galápagos, mainly due to its colony of endemic waved albatrosses. Española was chosen by this emblematic species as its home because of its many advantages: it’s a flat island so that waved albatrosses have a ‘landing strip’’; it has tall cliffs perfect for taking off against the upwind, and it has rich waters surround it. The place just thrives with life: all along the trail there was a new species or a new behavior to spot: sunbathing endemic Española lava lizards, Darwin finches feeding their chicks, mating Galápagos hawks, courting blue-footed boobies, juvenile and adult Nazca boobies, marine iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls…and the list goes on. The landscapes of Punta Suarez are also stunning, with tall cliffs and natural ‘blow-hole,’ forming an impressive column of water with every wave. Today we were certainly surrounded by impressive natural beauty, which will be hard to be forgotten.
