Hood Island

We spent the whole day on the Southeasternmost tip of the Galápagos archipelago: Espanola island. This island is home of many species of sea birds such as blue footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, and Nazca boobies that can all be seen along the cliffs. It is also the place of the waved albatross, which nests only here in the whole world. We got into their colony. We had a nice encounter with an albatross couple during their courtship, which is one of the most extraordinary displays imaginable. It is highly entertaining, but also a complex piece of ritualized dance in which the partners cooperate with great precision.

In the afternoon we had a nice time exploring the wonders of the marine ecosystem in different ways. Swimming, snorkeling, glass bottom boating. Everybody ended up on Gardner beach; it was a lot of fun to interact with the “locals,” the Galápagos sea lions. Our youngest guests were body surfing together with the sea lions. Late in the afternoon we all came back to the Polaris dreaming for more things to come.