Tuesday was an exciting day as we crossed the Equator not once, but twice! While we slept, the Polaris sailed north so we could circle Roca Redonda to look for sea birds shortly after sunrise. Monique's cry of "mola mola" alerted us to her favorite fish, a.k.a. the ocean sunfish. Before the day ended we had seen many of their waving fins in the water.
Our second Equator crossing came as we sailed south to Fernandina Island. The Captain hailed the event with a proper whistle blow - which we were grateful he did not do the 4 a.m. crossing! Zodiac rides took us along the cliffs at Punta Vicente Roca to observe hundreds of blue-footed boobies and iguanas on the cliffs.
Punta Espinosa was our afternoon delight, first with snorkeling -- with penguins, no less -- and later an afternoon walk on the island. Iguanas by the hundreds sunned themselves, lapping over each other and crowding close to gain warmth. Once again the sea lions were a joy to watch as they played in pools created by the black lava. Flightless cormorants and finally penguins delighted observers. A beached whale decaying in the sun made us aware of the reality that life always co-exists with death. The Sally Lightfoot crab found itself star of the show against the black lava. We were all fascinated by the dive-bombing booby birds enjoying a feeding frenzy for the schools of small fish below.
