Gardner Bay
The color of the ocean was so beautiful with the sun shining early in the morning—the day is always special when it begins with such a nice clear sky. We were anchored at Gardner and the activities began with a kayak outing with fantastic scenery and great bird activity.
During breakfast we chatted about snorkeling at the islet of Gardner. The sea conditions could not have been better. Soon after breakfast we got everyone setup with all the snorkeling gear they’d need for the week, and we left National Geographic Islander aboard Zodiacs excited for what was waiting in the water for us. Colors, sea stars, sea urchin, and sea lions, all ready to delight the explorers with their unique characteristics. On the white sand beach there were sea lions everywhere. What can I say? We returned to the ship for lunch with great smiles on our faces.
Punta Suarez
The afternoon began just as the tide was getting higher and the sun was bright and hot. The combination of ideal natural conditions were making this better and better. The breeze was cool in the heat and encouraged us to go on and continue exploring a place we know the attractions seems endless.
We are in the area where the Christmas-colored marine iguanas sit and sneeze, lying in groups among the sea lion and the mockingbirds. We decided to walk along the rocky area, and then we headed directly to where the albatrosses were—what a great view we had of the baby chicks and many mature albatrosses. The island of Española is a remarkable place that had all our explorers buzzing about the great experience they had.
