The breeze was gentle and the ocean was calm as we were flanked on one side there by volcanoes. We woke up navigating around the Island that resembles a sea horse, Isabela.
Early in the morning some guests decided to join us on the sky deck to look for any kind of big, marine mammal and we had great success. It was an exciting start to the day with sightings of Common dolphins coming out of the water to look for fish and large schools of tuna swimming swiftly by. But the excitement did not end there! As we were having breakfast it was interrupted by more cetaceans. This time some very curious False killer whales. What a terrific way to start the day before we even reached the visitor site!
Later in the morning we crossed the equatorial line from north to south and arrived to Punta Vicente Roca, the visitor site on Isabela Island. Here the scenery is dramatic due to the collapse of the volcano thousands of years ago, leaving volcanic dikes and more features that explain how the eruptions occurred. We took a Zodiac ride to visit the shoreline and the sea birds and some sea turtles gathered to rest. To finish the morning we jumped in the water to see a variety of tropical fish, penguins, cormorants, sea lions and turtles.
We continued on and the National Geographic Islander moved once more, this time to the final location of the day.
Fernandina is the youngest Island in the Galapagos and the only visitor site is called Punta Espinoza. Its name is given by the huge numbers of marine iguanas that use this place for feeding and breeding. We went on a hike to see the so called “iguana city” and learn more about this endemic species found nowhere else. We also encountered more sea lions, some of which had just given birth, and cormorants that are breeding for the last time this year.
It was a day full of surprises and joyful experiences. Tomorrow more adventures await!
