Today we woke up early to see a huge pod of Common dolphins. They have a white underside, are smaller, and are also shier than Bottlenose dolphins. We sailed several times near them and they offered great photos opportunities with their jumps and tail smashing. Afterwards we had a small ceremony to commemorate the crossing of the equatorial line into the southern hemisphere. This was done at the bow of the National Geographic Islander with a small Ecuadorian flag to mark the imaginary line.
After breakfast we went in our Zodiacs along the shoreline of Punta Vicente Roca spotting marine iguanas, fur sea lions, blue footed and Nazca Boobies, Brown Noddies and flightless cormorants. It was interesting to see these vertical black lines of new lava that have formed dikes as they compressed to fill the vertical fissures of the volcanic ash and lava. The old lava is red due to iron rust while the new lava is pitch black. Following the ride we went snorkeling and spotted several Pacific green turtles while doing so.
Our next destination was Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island, the youngest and most pristine island in the Galapagos. Here we found Pahoe-hoe lava and the largest concentration of marine iguanas as we walked along the shoreline of this peninsula. There was an area that had several lava cacti and a skeleton of a Bryde’s whale.
Following the walk we went back on board for cocktails and briefings about nature and tomorrow’s activities.
Another great day came to an end.
