Today we arrived on the western side of the Galapagos Islands. During our early morning navigation we spotted a tropical whale, in all its glory. The geologic experience in this place could not have been better; all the volcanoes of Isabela Island could be seen along the coast. Then, we crossed the Equator line and had a surprising celebration on the bow of the ship, where we all became shellbacks and got permission from King Neptune to have breakfast.
After breakfast we went on a Zodiac ride along the coast of punta Vicente Roca, located on the northern side of Isabela. We were amazed by the huge cliffs found in the area and all the variety of species we found on the coast and in the water: iguanas, pacific green sea turtles, sea lions, and flightless cormorants. We also saw Galapagos penguins. Then, we went further into the open ocean and spotted an ocean sun fish, the largest bony fish in the world. After the ride, we went snorkeling with sea lions, penguins, and sea turtles.
During the afternoon we had a dry landing at Punta Espinoza, the only visitor site on the island of Fernandina, where we encountered thousands of large marine iguanas basking under the sun and beginning the breading season by nodding their heads to each other. This is the youngest island and also the most preserved island of the Galapagos. Small colonies of sea lions and flightless cormorants were also seen, including some abandoned eggs. This was a nice way to enjoy another day in paradise…
