Isabela and Fernandina Islands

Today started with a wonderful whale sighting for the early risers. A pod of Bryde’s whales was seen swimming very close to the National Geographic Islander. Many of us had the thrill of observing these marvelous creatures.

After a colorful ceremony to commemorate the crossing of the equator, all of our guests became shellbacks. Ecuador Volcano offered a beautiful geological backdrop for the ceremony. Immediately after the crossing we had a short geology talk and kayak instruction session with our Naturalists.

Our first morning outing was a fabulous Zodiac ride along the coastline where we observed dozens of marine turtles swimming right next to us, flightless cormorants, Galápagos penguins, Galápagos sea lions and furs seals, Pacific sunfish (Mola mola) and some of us even saw a huge swordfish! After the ride we snorkeled around Punta Vicente Roca with the company of many endangered Pacific sea turtles. Just as we arrived back onboard a pod of bottle nosed dolphins passed by the ship. This morning was definitely full of marvelous sightings!

The afternoon was dedicated to a relaxing stroll at Punta Suarez on Fernandina Island. We saw a whole array of many unbelievable animals like a Galápagos hawk looking for its prey, cute Galápagos baby sea lions and countless marine iguanas. What a day!