Isabela & Fernandina Islands
We started our morning looking for marine mammals and sea birds from our ship. We found some on our way and found some common dolphins, and lots of Galápagos petrels; certainly it was a happy occasion full of wild life and incredible landscape.
After breakfast we went for a Zodiac ride along the coast of Punta Vicente Roca; we saw lots of sea turtles, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants and sea lions which in turn joined us while we were snorkeling. We had great weather and the water felt great as it was just a bit cooler than on the other islands; this change in the temperature was due to a different current in the western realm of Galápagos; this current is better known as Cromwell current.
This afternoon we went to the youngest island in Galápagos. We explored the uplifted coast of Fernandina island. We saw several fights amongst marine iguanas; one of the females beat a “very brave retreat” after another female came to chase her far from her territory. The intruder tried to take advantage of a freshly dug nest; the owner came to chase this trespasser and even though she tried to stay with that nest, she got chased successfully by the real owner. We saw the successful conclusion of this fight with the real owner staying with her nest, egg intact.
At the end of the day there was much rejoicing for all the wonderful moments we had and the great memories we keep in our minds.
