What an amazing day we had! We started with a delicious breakfast followed by Crossing the Equator activities. We all gathered on the bow of the ship, crossed the “Equator Line,” designated by a naturalist with an Ecuadorian Flag. We all had a great time together and got commemorative pins marking the occasion.
We followed this with Zodiac rides along the cost of Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island, where we enjoyed the beautiful landscape of the area and its wildlife: Galapagos fur seals, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins, and more.
The highlight of this day was the snorkeling. The conditions were extremely good in terms of weather, sea, visibility, and wildlife encounters, even by the standards of our local naturalists. And one guest declared today one of the five best days of her life! The fantastic snorkel included hundreds of different fish, dozens of sea turtles, penguins, and even a very slow-cruising Mola Mola (sunfish). All on a sunny day with crystal clear visibility, we could not ask for more.
Our young Global Explorers went on Zodiac driving lessons, follow by the adults with a talk about “Human History in the Galapagos.” After these activities we all prepared to visit the pristine island of Fernandina, the youngest of the archipelago. Here we encountered thousands of huge marine iguanas, most of them basking in the sun to warm up after foraging in the cold ocean.
To end this amazing day, the crew delighted us with a fantastic barbecue out on the sky deck, with delicious types of meats, fresh tuna, great salads, desserts, and drinks. Very grateful for all of this!
