Isabela and Fernandina Islands
The Galápagos Islands are unique! Several facets make them different from any other place on Earth. Of course their volcanic origin means that all the species had to arrive to the islands. As well the geology is the responsible for the deep waters of the archipelago. But the fact that we have three different ocean currents reaching the archipelago makes them a very interesting ecosystem. Today after crossing the equatorial line…we swam with penguins. Are there penguins at the Equator? Yes, the Cromwell Current brings very cold water from western Pacific where it crashes against the islands and upwells together with all the nutrients. These cold waters are what make it possible for our penguins and fur seals to live here! The biggest upwelling we have is in Canal Bolivar.
We woke up inside this canal, due to the upwelling this is a great place to look for marine mammals. We searched from the outer decks with no luck, but we enjoyed the view of the six large shield volcanoes around us. We had a Zodiac ride along Isabela’s shore at Punta Vicente Roca. The two flightless birds of the islands were there: the Galápagos penguin and the flightless cormorant. There were so many sea turtles we lost count! And marine iguanas were impressive basking on the rocks.
Snorkeling was a highlight! The water was a little bit colder than in the rest of the islands… but absolutely worth it! Sea turtles, cormorants, and penguins joined the display of beautiful tropical fish.
In the afternoon we visited Fernandina Island. The youngest of all, Fernandina is formed by the majestic “La cumber” volcano. The island is covered with new lava flows and over them hundreds of marine iguanas pile over each other.
Just at the end of the visit the surprise came: A blow! We all ran to the best location to look for more and after a couple of minutes it came to the surface: A huge whale! No, not just huge…the largest in the oceans actually! A blue whale! We saw it come to the surface several times and then it disappeared on the horizon. We came back outside for a cocktail on the outer decks. Sunset, a cocktail, the island in front of us…no wonder these islands are called paradise!
