Isabela & Fernandina Islands
Today we got up early and went to the outer deck looking for whales or dolphins. Weather conditions were not cooperating with our plan (it was a bit cold and windy), but we did see some dolphins and sea birds.
After breakfast we did a little ceremony while crossing the equator, and then we found ourselves surrounded by the beautiful landscape offered to us by the transection of the marvelous shield volcano named Ecuador.
Later in the morning, we went for a Zodiac ride at the tip of Isabela Island, and it was time for the Galápagos penguins, manta-rays, green sea turtles, flightless cormorants and Galápagos sea lions to fascinate us with their tremendous display of beauty.
We then went deep-water snorkeling at the same spot, and saw many different reef fish and even a sun fish. The water temperature was 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and even though our visibility seemed a bit blurred, there were no strong currents surrounding us, making it easy to get close-up views of these amazing animals.
In the afternoon we visited Punta Espinoza at Fernandina Island, where we walked along beaches surrounded by fresh lava flows— known as Pahoe-Hoe— and many specimens of red, white and black mangrove, as well as the endemic lava cactus. Here we had the perfect occasion to observe the territorial behavior of marine iguanas while they were all lying together.
We also saw a colony of flightless cormorants, and one individual of Galápagos hawk, that seemed to say farewell from a mangrove as we hopped in our Zodiacs and returned to the National Geographic Endeavour.
