Punta Vicente Roca & Punta Espinoza
It was an early wakeup call to head to Isabela and Fernandina Islands. These are the youngest islands in the remote and beautiful Galápagos archipelago. By 6am we were on the sky deck and the conditions could not have been better for whale and bird watching. Our enthusiasm was high and we were prepared for a fantastic day. The Galápagos petrels were all over, and every once in a while the frigates and pelicans would gather around. But we would have to wait a bit longer to spot any whales.
We anchored at Punta Vicente Roca in the shadow of this Ecuador volcano, along a coastline that offered much to explore. Our Zodiac cruise began with sightings of Galápagos fur seals lying on the rocks, nearly invisibles with their great camouflage. Then we saw Nazca boobies, frigates, swallow-tailed gulls, and the always impressive marine iguanas.
After the Zodiac cruise, we climbed into the cool waters around Punta Vicente. While snorkeling we saw many turtles and black-striped salemas, Galápagos penguins, sea lions, flightless cormorants and white-tipped reef sharks. The visibility wasn’t fantastic, but we could see them in this very privileged corner of the archipelago.
By three in the afternoon we were preparing for the last of the day’s excursions – this time to Punta Espinoza. The magic of the place was evident from the landing where we saw marine iguanas putting on an afternoon show, sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs, cormorants and the peaceful ocean.
We had fantastic experiences with nature and the wildlife on these islands on the second full day of our adventure, and the excitement is already building for tomorrow’s expedition.
