A beautiful sunrise and a stiff, cool breeze greeted us this morning on National Geographic Sea Lion. Our first adventure began before breakfast. We explored Isla Bona by Zodiacs and what an amazing sight it was!
The waves were crashing on the rocky coast, as hundreds of seabirds soared overhead and the salty air felt fresh as it blew across our faces. There was so much to take in. Sally Lightfoot crabs crawled over the rocks as if they had suction cups to hold them on to the steep rock faces. We noticed many bright red “apple looking” structures in the greenery and realized they were the inflated gular pouches of male magnificent frigatebirds hoping to attract females. Both blue and brown-footed boobies – the latter ones with their chicks – were seen on the rocky outcroppings, preferring these areas to trees to build their nests. Brown pelicans and their chicks were also spotted. These birds are plunge divers and can live to be 20 years old. They do not have eyelids and can become blind from years of diving into the sea. We also saw a great egret and a yellow-crested night heron.
Back on the ship we had our snorkel and kayak briefings and chose our snorkel gear for our next outing at Isla Iguana Wildlife Refuge; this island was named after the black spiny-tailed ctenosaurs, similar to iguanas that live there. We saw several of these reptiles on the gorgeous white sandy beach as we landed. We had wonderful views of the magnificent frigatebirds that were nesting here. Our naturalists led a hike to explore the area by foot and others chose to get in the warm water and try out their snorkel gear. Our afternoon came to a close and the sun sank into the ocean as we bid farewell to this magical island.
