Isabela & Fernandina Island
These two islands are located in the western part of the Galápagos archipelago. Isabela and Fernandina Islands are bathed by the Equatorial counter current that comes from the western Pacific. This strong oceanic carries a large amount of cold water which is very rich in nutrients. This is one of the main reasons why this part of the archipelago sustains the largest population of marine iguanas, sea turtles, Galápagos penguins, and Flightless cormorants. Without any doubt this area is the best place in the archipelago to observe cetaceans.
After the Equatorial line celebrations we went out for a Zodiac ride where we spotted a huge Humpback whale and several Pacific Ocean sunfish. The sunfish is the largest boney fish on Earth. After this amazing experience we came back onboard to get geared up for snorkeling around Punta Vicente Roca. This place is considered to be one of the best places in the archipelago to swim with sea turtles, Galápagos penguins and a lot of fish species. As soon as we came back on board we sailed to Fernandina Island.
In the afternoon, we visited Punta Espinoza. From the very moment we set foot at this pristine location we saw hundreds of Marine iguanas. Today we observed that most of the iguana males were bobbing their heads. They were marking territories and looking for a chance to leave their genes.
We also visited some intertidal pools where we observed a couple of sea turtles. On our way back to the National Geographic Polaris we saw Flightless cormorants, Galápagos penguins, Galápagos hawks, a Galápagos snake and many Galápagos sea lions.
Once we all came on board, Captain Hinojosa pulled up the anchor to start our navigation towards Santa Cruz Island. This is the island home of the Galápagos giant tortoises that we will be visiting tomorrow.
To see footage from this day, please click here.
