Isabela and Fernandina Islands

Today was an unforgettable day. This morning before breakfast we were lucky enough to spot a blue whale next to our ship. After breakfast we took the Zodiacs out to look for Mola mola (the giant oceanic sunfish). The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had the chance to snorkel with sea turtles and the playful sea lions. As we were retrieving the final two snorkelers from a cove formation, we spotted a killer whale just a hundred feet away from our Zodiac. We went to take a good look at the killer whale, using the frigate birds as a signal as to where the Orcas would surface next. It was truly magnificent as we found out that there were three Orcas, and they surfaced just mere feet from our Zodiacs. Later that afternoon, we hiked along the shore of Fernandina and saw marine iguanas, sea lions, and flightless cormorants among others. We witnessed a baby flightless cormorant feeding while the adults fended off a frigate bird looking for a free meal. With the sun setting at our backs we took the Zodiacs to search for the Galápagos penguin. We spotted a few before coming back to the ship for cocktails on the deck.