Española Island
The decision was final! It was just like in the old times in a Roman arena when the spectators shouted out loud for more. Our guests were asking for more… time for snorkeling, that is. So we did it, and instead of a regular 45 minute snorkeling session at Gardner Bay on the southeastern most island of the Galápagos, we went for a full one and a half hours. Needless to say, the outing was spectacular! We saw everything we wanted to see underwater, and in large quantities. We also discovered that the apparent warm water of the surface is in fact surrounded by chilly deep water current. This thermo cline was every evident today making us shudder every so often
Española Island is a fascinating place from an evolutionary point of view. This island is the oldest of the archipelago. This fact together with the geographic isolation have produced what could be one of the best examples in the world of large numbers of endemic species on a single island. With that in mind, we got our gear to start our expedition of the afternoon at Punta Suarez. We promised our guests a close encounter with some bird species, and we were not kidding! As soon as we disembarked several curious Hood mockingbirds came upon us. All around us, blue-footed boobies were nesting and numerous Nazca boobies were displaying their courtship attributes to their own kind. We had a lot of bird activity on the rocky terrain of Española Island. One sighting was a big surprise for all. The majestic albatross bird flew over our heads. As we were alone today on this remote island, we might as well have been the last visitors to see an albatross this season. What a golden finale for a wonderful week around the Galápagos.
The decision was final! It was just like in the old times in a Roman arena when the spectators shouted out loud for more. Our guests were asking for more… time for snorkeling, that is. So we did it, and instead of a regular 45 minute snorkeling session at Gardner Bay on the southeastern most island of the Galápagos, we went for a full one and a half hours. Needless to say, the outing was spectacular! We saw everything we wanted to see underwater, and in large quantities. We also discovered that the apparent warm water of the surface is in fact surrounded by chilly deep water current. This thermo cline was every evident today making us shudder every so often
Española Island is a fascinating place from an evolutionary point of view. This island is the oldest of the archipelago. This fact together with the geographic isolation have produced what could be one of the best examples in the world of large numbers of endemic species on a single island. With that in mind, we got our gear to start our expedition of the afternoon at Punta Suarez. We promised our guests a close encounter with some bird species, and we were not kidding! As soon as we disembarked several curious Hood mockingbirds came upon us. All around us, blue-footed boobies were nesting and numerous Nazca boobies were displaying their courtship attributes to their own kind. We had a lot of bird activity on the rocky terrain of Española Island. One sighting was a big surprise for all. The majestic albatross bird flew over our heads. As we were alone today on this remote island, we might as well have been the last visitors to see an albatross this season. What a golden finale for a wonderful week around the Galápagos.
