Fernandina & Isabela Islands

This morning we had an optional wake up call so we could appreciate the beauty of the northern volcanoes of Isabela Island. At 6:30am some of us were up on the outer decks watching the sunrise over the volcanoes of Isabela. Some others were looking at the horizon searching for marine mammals. The landscape was so spectacular on its own that it was worth the early rise.

After breakfast, at around 8:15am we crossed the Equator line. One of our guests, Sally Lazarus, got to blow the ship’s horn to let everyone know that we had crossed the Equator line and we were in the southern hemisphere.

At 9:15am we went for an amazing Zodiac ride along the cliff-sides of Punta Vicente Roca. In this location we could see magnificent geological formations like dykes and sills. There were many sea turtles around us. Some of them were mating. Best of all was the sighting of several sunfish (Mola mola) that showed us their beautiful fins and gracious bodies.

Along the cliff-side we could see the Galápagos fur seals basking on huge lava rocks and humongous marine iguanas fighting for territory. There were also some Flightless cormorants and cute Galápagos penguins that seemed to be waiting for us to take their pictures.

Along the walls of a great cave we saw many colorful marine invertebrates. We came back on board to get geared up for snorkeling. This activity was amazing as well. The water was a bit cold, but the sea turtles all around us – swimming so gracefully together with colourful harlequin wrasses (bright orange fishes with white or black spots) – made us forget how cold the water was.

After a delicious Peruvian lunch, our Expedition Leader Carlos Romero gave a very interesting talk about Charles Darwin. The talk motivated us to go to our next landing on Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island, the youngest island in the archipelago.

Even though we had a dry landing, we had to take off our shoes because the tide was high and we had to walk barefoot for the first few meters under some Mangrove trees. On the walk we saw hundreds of marine iguanas with their mating colors. Some of us saw them fighting for their territories. The Galápagos sea lion pups were the ones that stole our hearts, as they were seen playing in the tidal pools. I must also mention, last but not least, the Lava cacti that grow right on the barren lava.

With a beautiful view of the great shield volcano of Fernandina Island, we started to sail to our next destination.