Since daybreak we´ve had many sightings: various types of sea birds, mobula rays, sea lions and a majestic landscape!
It was 6:15 am and we were navigating along the north side of Isabela Island. It is time for our optional wake up call for fresh coffee and marine life observation. The National Geographic Islander is taking us through a patch of orange light as sun rises above the flanks of the volcanoes of Isabela Island.
It seems a perfect morning heralding the beginning of a fantastic day! The sea birds were skimming the ocean searching for their early meals, the officers on the watch announced the presence of a pod of dolphins at the horizon! There was a pod of around five hundred common dolphins breaching everywhere and birds following them.
At mid-morning we reached Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island. Here, we boarded our fleet of zodiacs to explore the shore and its highlights. Blue footed boobies, Galápagos penguins, flightless cormorants and many other creatures. Snorkeling in the calm waters at Punta Vicente Roca is always a remarkable experience. It is a world full of life. There are many types of fish and and penguins and cormorants and Pacific green sea turtles!
For the afternoon outing we landed on Fernandina Island. This island is the youngest in the region. It is covered by vast lava flows and it is an active volcano whose last eruption took place in April 2009. Fernandina Island has colonies of marine iguanas, cormorants and sea lions. Marine iguanas form large groups along the rocky shore. Our outing on Fernandina was breathtaking! At the moment we landed we spotted our first snake, just like in the documentaries, the snake stalking the baby iguana and the baby iguana keeping a distance from this seasoned predator. At the end we spotted 14 snakes and the end of the story was: baby iguana the winner! Snake, try again next time.
At the end we celebrated our day with a drink in hand at sunset.
