Española Island

The day began with a very calm ocean, so flat it resembled a glass of milk, and sunny. The first planned activity commenced on time. Kayaking came to be very popular during this trip and our guests have been eager to participate. The snorkeling was truly surprising. These past days we have had rather warm water; today the presence of some chilly water was notorious. No matter what, the presence of fish and the beauty of the seascape filled our senses and made us float in an ocean of emotions.

As this was going on, some of our guests were landing at the beach of Gardner Bay where a soft breeze distracted us from the scorching sun that bathed this place. No complaints, it was hot but invigorating. The sea lions seemed to think so too. A couple hundred of them lay down next to each other warming up, digesting what they had eaten, or simply being.

All of the sudden, some frigate birds, several pelicans and also some blue-footed boobies came upon the beach in search of something we humans couldn’t see or decipher. Maybe the birds were just having fun but most likely they were after a prize. No matter how little it could have been, it was worth the effort they made in their search for subsistence.

The culmination of our time at the beach was marked by the presence of a somewhat large Galápagos shark hunting a very small black tipped shark just at the water line. The little cartilaginous fish ran (or rather swam) for its life, almost “walking” on the beach in order to escape its predator.

At Punta Suarez, in the afternoon, we were surprised by the exuberance of the vegetation. Everywhere the trail was covered by herbs and plants we rarely see. The gorgeous Española lava lizards overwhelmed us by jumping from rock to rock in a rather crazy manner. Zillions of tiny moths wandered above our heads working on their pollination activities with the endemic Chala shrubs.

On the easternmost side of this visitor’s site, the blow hole displayed such a force that induced a feeling of reverie that transported us into the center of it all; we were part of nature today and as such we were filled by her powers.

Once again a connection was accomplished in a way that made us understand a big deal about life and why we all have to be respectful in all regards to it.