There are days when life smiles at you from the very first minute, and today was one of those days. The northwestern side of Santa Cruz Island looked to be a bit overcast and drizzly, but the sun appeared immediately as we set foot on the island. Healthy looking land iguanas sheltering from the equatorial sun were everywhere, along with evidence of goats that have been introduced to the island.

After exploring on land, we returned to the ship to get ready for snorkeling. It was refreshing, and we encountered plenty of colorful tropical fish and a few sharks which kept everybody interested and alert.

We enjoyed an authentic Ecuadorean lunch which was abundant and delicious. We followed lunch with a Zodiac exploration at Borrero Bay, and to our delight we saw many baby black-tipped reef sharks and baby hammerhead sharks, too. It was amazing!

The circumnavigation to Daphne Major along with a wine tasting finished a great day full of exhilaration and excitement.