Isabela & Fernandina Islands
We woke up floating in a perfectly flat calm sea. The ship had arrived in the early morning hours to a region of the Galápagos Marine Reserve rarely visited during daylight hours. The vast majority of vessels sail over the northern coastline of Isabela during the night. We were here to look for marine life – and we found it! Not long after the optional morning up-date had alerted drowsy guests to our location and intentions, a soft, light blow was seen. It was a tough one to pin down, but I believe after following the quick cetacean for a while, my determination was that someone had spotted a minke whale. And it wasn’t the last, either!
After breakfast we were on approach to Ecuador volcano and the “nose of the seahorse” when several other blows appeared, also light, also moving fast. With a few good glimpses of the sharp falcate fin, and taking into consideration the size of the animal, I decided minkes once again were the best possibilities. A mobula created a huge splash, a fur seal threw up his flipper as if in salutation, and the Zodiac cruise to follow was fabulous.
Penguins, flightless cormorants, fur seals, ocean sunfish (!), marine iguanas swimming and turtles! Oh the turtles! We returned for a chance to snorkel with the East Pacific green sea turtles and they did not disappoint. They hung in mid-water like mobiles on no string. A half-dozen easily could be seen at a glance in the rare clear water of Pta. Vicente Roca. On our return, my driver spotted another ocean sunfish ahead and I couldn’t resist and jumped in with my camera for a try at photographing the sunfish – too a degree of success! A moment later we spotted a sea lion tearing a tuna fish apart with the feeding frenzy that ensued. Frigates, boobies, pelicans all took pieces – from the sea lion as well as each other.
The afternoon was ideal in temperature, the sun slanting low, the sky overhead blue. Marine iguanas basked and snorted while young, very young sea lion pups called pitifully from the mangroves until mothers arrived. Some roly-poly pups played in shallow tidal pools. A juvenile Galápagos hawk called repeatedly until the parents (I think) despaired and flew off. The youngster followed shortly after and the oystercatchers became hysterical. A small, possibly young green sea turtle rested on the beach below the hawks.
Only in Galápagos.
We woke up floating in a perfectly flat calm sea. The ship had arrived in the early morning hours to a region of the Galápagos Marine Reserve rarely visited during daylight hours. The vast majority of vessels sail over the northern coastline of Isabela during the night. We were here to look for marine life – and we found it! Not long after the optional morning up-date had alerted drowsy guests to our location and intentions, a soft, light blow was seen. It was a tough one to pin down, but I believe after following the quick cetacean for a while, my determination was that someone had spotted a minke whale. And it wasn’t the last, either!
After breakfast we were on approach to Ecuador volcano and the “nose of the seahorse” when several other blows appeared, also light, also moving fast. With a few good glimpses of the sharp falcate fin, and taking into consideration the size of the animal, I decided minkes once again were the best possibilities. A mobula created a huge splash, a fur seal threw up his flipper as if in salutation, and the Zodiac cruise to follow was fabulous.
Penguins, flightless cormorants, fur seals, ocean sunfish (!), marine iguanas swimming and turtles! Oh the turtles! We returned for a chance to snorkel with the East Pacific green sea turtles and they did not disappoint. They hung in mid-water like mobiles on no string. A half-dozen easily could be seen at a glance in the rare clear water of Pta. Vicente Roca. On our return, my driver spotted another ocean sunfish ahead and I couldn’t resist and jumped in with my camera for a try at photographing the sunfish – too a degree of success! A moment later we spotted a sea lion tearing a tuna fish apart with the feeding frenzy that ensued. Frigates, boobies, pelicans all took pieces – from the sea lion as well as each other.
The afternoon was ideal in temperature, the sun slanting low, the sky overhead blue. Marine iguanas basked and snorted while young, very young sea lion pups called pitifully from the mangroves until mothers arrived. Some roly-poly pups played in shallow tidal pools. A juvenile Galápagos hawk called repeatedly until the parents (I think) despaired and flew off. The youngster followed shortly after and the oystercatchers became hysterical. A small, possibly young green sea turtle rested on the beach below the hawks.
Only in Galápagos.
