Isabela Island
As the day welcomed us we were treated to a wonderful sunrise over Isabela Island. Many of our fellow explorers joined us on the foredeck as we navigated to Urbina Bay, which was to be our visitor site for the morning. Urbina is unique in that approximately two square kilometers of sub-tidal zone was uplifted in a violent volcanically related action in 1954. The act was so quick that many coastal invertebrates were trapped inland. Spiny lobsters, fish, and sea urchins, just to name a few, were found hundreds of meters inland trapped by the coast and sun.
We landed and were able to see a few trails left the night before by the nesting Pacific green sea turtles. Continuing onto the trail we are surprised immediately by a young giant tortoise from the Alcedo Volcano population. These tortoises were threatened for many years not only by us humans but also by the feral goat population, which was destroying their habitat. Through a great effort the goats have been eliminated and the habitat is recuperating. Darwin’s finches littered the ground and tree branches as they searched for their daily nutrition. The vegetation that surrounded us has grown up since 1954 and tends to be salt-resistant in nature. We pass a poison apple tree that happens to be a favorite fruit of the tortoise, but which could possibly cause grave problems for us humans.
As we notice land iguana burrows on the ground, we come upon a very large female lazily crossing the path in front of us. Land iguanas, along with the giant tortoise, have had a hard time in the past with invasive species; currently we are working with thousands of caring people to return the island to a protected area and we see this before our eyes.
On our return to our landing beach we meet three more tortoises finding shade under the vegetation. The water temperature is pleasant as we take a swim from the beach. A very hungry sea lion runs a small black-tipped reef shark onto the beach, trying to grab a bite. The shark escapes narrowly as we pull away from the beach in our Zodiacs.
The afternoon begins with kayaking along the coast of Tagus Cove. Tagus has been a protected anchorage for centuries and this history is shown by the various graffiti, some of it dating to the early 1800s. Flightless cormorants and penguins are found as we snorkel in the cooler water of the western archipelago. There is an abundance of life in these nutrient-rich waters that are affected by an upwelling current from the western Pacific. Sea turtles abound as we make our way along the coast.
As a closing to the day some of us depart in the Zodiacs for a sunset cruise; as we search for wildlife, the rest decide to take a hike up along a ridge along a volcanic cone. The views are stunning as we watch the sun drop to the horizon confirming that this has been a magical day here on Isabela Island.
