Today we had an early start and the first group that disembarked the National Geographic Islander looking for adventure were the kayakers followed by long hikers and photographers. The beach was amazing and we saw fresh sea turtle tracks from the previous night. As we walked along the beach we found very shy ghost crabs, but surprisingly we had one that posed for our cameras. In the distance we saw a group of pelicans feeding and they were not alone, as brown noddies were waiting for their portion while standing on the heads of the pelicans.
After our breakfast we had a good time snorkeling and a Zodiac ride for those that wanted to stay dry. At the end of our outing, just coming back to the ship, we found a very nice surprise- hammerhead sharks! We saw them very close to the surface from the Zodiacs.
In the afternoon we started with a very refreshing swim and snorkel off the black beach, followed by a walk in Puerto Egas where all the landscape was green because of the rain of the last few weeks. We saw finches, colorful lava lizards and very friendly flycatchers that were flying in front of our cameras. In the grottos we saw fur seals and contemplated the power of the ocean, especially in “Darwin s Toilet”, a group of lava tubes where water goes through, creating a special flushing effect. Also along the shoreline we found sea lions, marine iguanas and several shore birds, including American oystercatchers. At the end we had a bit of rain and came back to the ship with a beautiful rainbow to finish this perfect day.
