Genovesa Island.

Everybody on board the Polaris is excited to start a new day of adventures on this wonderful island that always has something new to offer the nature lovers. Disembarkation starts; we board the dinghies and head to the landing site. We just got in the dinghies and someone said, “Dolphins, dolphins!” Indeed, we had a pod of bottlenose dolphins hitching a ride at the bow of our dinghy, a wonderful experience at the very beginning of a promising sunny day.

We had a wet landing at the shore, followed by a walk were we saw (for the first time this trip) red-footed boobies sharing their nesting sites with courting great frigatebirds showing their red pouches, while perching on the salt bushes or palo santo trees while other frigates did some air acrobatics.

Excitement once again, we couldn’t wait to go to snorkeling and admire the Galápagos marine life. Wetsuits and snorkeling gear on and ready for the encounter with the marine realm, others waded on the white sandy beach and snorkeled in shallow waters. Then it’s time to go back on board for lunch.

After a short siesta, we hear the announcement for the afternoon activities, a walk on the same island but a different site and this time our goal was the short-eared owl, an endemic species of the islands. After a prolonged search and scanning many crevices and holes, we found our first one, and then a second and a third at the conclusion of this wonderful day, seeing more than what we expected with the addition of a spectacular sun setting on the western reddening sky.