In 1954 the land in this area rose above sea level creating a new habitat for land iguanas, other reptiles and birds to inhabit. The coastal area here was violently uplifted prior to volcanic activity on Isabela. An earthquake of 6.5 on the Richter scale occurred on June 4th, 1954. Segments of the intertidal zone was thrust up, in certain cases more than 4 meters (16 feet), out of the ocean trapping invertebrates and leaving various species high and dry. Many massive coral heads and bones of what were at the time marine organisms are now found along the trail of this visitor site. As we walked farther along the trail we came upon a reasonable size population of Galapagos land iguanas. We saw many of them along the trail. At the end of the morning hike we had the opportunity to cool off on the black lava landing beach.
After lunch we had an early kayaking outing followed by deep water snorkeling. We were fortunate to have great sightings- sea turtles, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos penguins, a big Galapagos shark and even a flightless cormorant was spotted.
In the late afternoon, after the snorkelers returned, we had the option to go for a second round of kayaking or to go on a Zodiac ride. During the zodiac ride we saw many blue footed boobies, brown pelicans, Galapagos sea lions and Pacific green sea turtles coming up to the surface.
The terrain on this Island is distinct and the stratifications of the tuff cones (compacted volcanic ash) are impressive as they reflect the past explosive geological history of the largest island of the Galapagos.
This was an amazing day full of wildlife and the incredible geology of the archipelago!
