Isabela Island
At 05:00 am, the National Geographic Islander motored through the Bolivar channel to Urvina Bay, named after one of our Ecuadorian Presidents. Urvina Bay has a spectacular coastline due to an uplift that took place back in 1954, when a magmatic pressure raised this floor above sea level and therefore trapped sea life which were then dehydrated by the baking hot sun – lobsters, different species of fish, turtles, and barnacles, which were bleached to a bright lifeless white. To the first people who saw it, I imagine this was extraordinary.
Today, after 5 decades, some invertebrates still remain clinging onto the rocks as a reminder of this ever-changing world. New flora and fauna have moved into this new ground, like the Galápagos cotton, cordia, and bushes and shrubs from different families. Land iguanas, birds, and even hermit crabs now call this place home. And here we are among them witnessing this new way of adaptation.
Today we had a low tide which allowed us to explore the inter-tidal zone, where we found an octopus. We also saw a juvenile Galápagos hawk about three feet away from us. On the way back, right close to the beach, we witnessed another young Galápagos hawk catch an introduced black rat, tear it apart, and eat it. Soon after, we had a pleasurable time at the beach with our guests and had a very nice swim.
Back on board, as we continued to our next destination, a succulent lunch was served, which makes our chefs proud of their talented culinary skills.
Another impressive Charles Darwin lecture was presented by Antonio Adrian, one of our naturalists, which enriched our expedition, a journey of discovery with a new “set of eyes” to nourish our minds.
In the afternoon we arrived to Punta Moreno and went for a walk on this very jagged and rough lava field. We walked through this pretty oasis of lagoons and found flamingos, Wilson’s phalarope, common gallinules, etc. At the end of our visit, we saw white tip reef sharks and a couple of sting rays.
Back on board, we are ready to continue with our expeditions. Our journey has just reached its peak. Now we are headed for the eastern part of the archipelago. Our guests have earned their sailor stripes and we have become one in nature.
We can’t wait for what’s coming next.
