Isabela and Fernandina Island
Just minutes ago I was thinking about the wonderful day we spent today in this natural paradise. One thing came to my mind: It is great to be alive! In a way, I have always considered it an extraordinary privilege to work as a Naturalist in such amazing places as the Galápagos Islands. The huge array of sightings and experiences we accumulated throughout the day is certainly impressive. Can you believe that we started the day with the spectacular sighting of orcas hunting for dolphins? This sighting by itself could easily be considered a headliner. But this day had a lot more to offer to us. I will list just some of the highlights we had after the fantastic orca-dolphin episode: mating Galápagos penguins, massive groups of marine iguanas, flightless cormorants nesting, blue-footed boobies diving.
The snorkelling outing was one of the best we have had this year around Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island. Green Pacific sea turtles by the dozens swimming and floating just a few feet away from their observers were as close to a dream as you can imagine. But wait, the best is yet to come! A huge manta ray (Manta hamiltoni) was seen in the snorkelling area from the Zodiacs. Well, we saw it again, this time under water! I felt that my whole body was shivering when I finally spotted this giant fish. It was huge! Manta rays can reach enormous sizes. They can grow up to 22 feet in width and weigh well over 2 metric tons! Being by far one the largest fish ever. For magical seconds I had the thrill to swim under the manta ray. I was suspended in time watching this giant. I felt like I was in a different dimension when the enormous shadow of the animal covered me. I was so close that I saw the manta ray’s eyes and gills! I had with me our underwater video camera; therefore, I had the joy and luck to record the whole event. This has been the best sighting I have ever had of this majestic marine critter. In 10 years this has been the best. The emotion and commotion this sighting caused in our visitors this week is just comparable with the respect and love we feel for the unparalleled Galápagos Islands. Wow!
Just minutes ago I was thinking about the wonderful day we spent today in this natural paradise. One thing came to my mind: It is great to be alive! In a way, I have always considered it an extraordinary privilege to work as a Naturalist in such amazing places as the Galápagos Islands. The huge array of sightings and experiences we accumulated throughout the day is certainly impressive. Can you believe that we started the day with the spectacular sighting of orcas hunting for dolphins? This sighting by itself could easily be considered a headliner. But this day had a lot more to offer to us. I will list just some of the highlights we had after the fantastic orca-dolphin episode: mating Galápagos penguins, massive groups of marine iguanas, flightless cormorants nesting, blue-footed boobies diving.
The snorkelling outing was one of the best we have had this year around Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island. Green Pacific sea turtles by the dozens swimming and floating just a few feet away from their observers were as close to a dream as you can imagine. But wait, the best is yet to come! A huge manta ray (Manta hamiltoni) was seen in the snorkelling area from the Zodiacs. Well, we saw it again, this time under water! I felt that my whole body was shivering when I finally spotted this giant fish. It was huge! Manta rays can reach enormous sizes. They can grow up to 22 feet in width and weigh well over 2 metric tons! Being by far one the largest fish ever. For magical seconds I had the thrill to swim under the manta ray. I was suspended in time watching this giant. I felt like I was in a different dimension when the enormous shadow of the animal covered me. I was so close that I saw the manta ray’s eyes and gills! I had with me our underwater video camera; therefore, I had the joy and luck to record the whole event. This has been the best sighting I have ever had of this majestic marine critter. In 10 years this has been the best. The emotion and commotion this sighting caused in our visitors this week is just comparable with the respect and love we feel for the unparalleled Galápagos Islands. Wow!
