We woke up to the volcanic landscape of Bartholomew Island dominating the port-side windows. Starboard, Pinnacle Rock and Santiago filled the space between sea and sky.

Hikes, Zodiac rides, beachgoers, snorkelers, all got looks at the famous, small Galapagos penguins as well as the other denizens of the area.

In the afternoon, the ship repositioned south to another island off the coast of Santiago Island, Sombrero Chino. The objective? Explore the turquoise waters between the two islands. One flotilla of Zodiacs took out deep-water snorkelers, still after the holy grail of underwater penguin sightings. The others chose to explore the tiny beach of white sand tucked into a corner of Sombrero Chino.

Before the sunset and the penguins ducked inside their homes for the night, we took the Zodiacs to see them on land once more if we could.