Isabela Island
Morning came and we soon realized that we were waking up in waters surrounded by volcanoes. A Zodiac cruise took us to Urbina Bay, an uplifted part of the island where we were to begin our walk to see the largest area of coral known in Galápagos. As we approached the landing, the black beach waited for us. How can it be that every landing is so different? A new perspective lay in front of us, this time it was a steep beach with clear tracks of turtles which had come and left just few hours before our arrival. We sat there in admiration as the blue-footed boobies dove in the sea. The swells were coming in sets and minutes passed until we were all ready to take the long hike into the island. We were observing the many finches happily eating seeds from the ground and trees when we found an iguana track and followed it into the bushes. There it was – bright and yellow, well hidden under the cordia lutia trees. We had found another endemic species in its natural habitat. It was also very impressive to see such a large amount of coral out of the water. After a three-hour excursion the cool equatorial water was quite refreshing.
The afternoon was full of options for us. Some people signed up to paddle the kayaks in the bay, this was great because the water was very calm and it was easy to row. There were flightless cormorants nesting, penguins on the rocks and turtles in the water. The sea lions were the playful companions. Two groups went snorkeling alongside of the most impressive compacted ashes. Its fragile composition had been dramatically eroded by the constant ocean action. As we jumped in the water there was a shivering feeling as a result of the water going down in the back our wetsuits. We had been a bit reluctant to go in the water as it seemed to be dark and full of plankton. But we were fooled by our own impression, as we got closer to the rocks we discovered that the sea turtles were eating amongst the sea of seaweed. Rays were everywhere and the surgeon fish were larger than what we had seen before. We did not have to swim far, it was all there. We could not believe it! We were really watching them eat and sway by the swell that was rocking us slowly back and forth. We were feeling very fortunate already when the highlight of the snorkeling outing arrived – a group of penguins swam in front of us as if they were flying underwater. We were ready to go back, and as we got back on the Zodiac we wrapped ourselves in the warm towels and cheered for the day’s wonderful experiences.
The day was not quite over, and for the last activity we recruited more than 20 people to walk to the top of the “Mirador” of Tagus Cove. The sun set behind Fernandina Island, the sky displayed colors to be photographed and we did our best. It was a full day on Isabela Island. We are now looking forward to tomorrow’s activities.
