Isabela and Fernandina Island
What a day! We started early with Audubon shearwaters, storm petrels, tropic birds, brown noddy terns, boobies and frigate birds “swarming” at Roca Redonda. This impressive rock is the peak of a collapsed and eroded volcano. As we crossed the Equator bottle-nosed dolphins utilized the “pressure wave” of the ship for a free-ride at the bow. Later, on our way to Punta Vicente at the north tip of Isabela Island, a pod of common dolphins joined us, too. They weren’t very interested in socializing, but nevertheless, they jumped high off our bow and played. The common dolphins in the eastern South Pacific don’t bow-ride, but in the eastern North Pacific and New Zealand they do. Their dislike of ships around these waters may be related to previous bad experiences with tuna boats.
During the dinghy ride at Punta Vicente there were some “violent performances”: huge marine iguanas nodded in territorial displays and bashed heads like triceratops. Male Galápagos fur sea lions chased one another. There were peaceful scenes also: flightless cormorants were resting and preening. Penguins were feeding on dense schools of tiny fish and sea turtles were everywhere and seemed to be playing hide and seek around the Zodiacs. Some of us saw a pelagic sun fish, the Mola mola.
The afternoon snorkeling was a like a scene from “Finding Nemo.” There were countless sea turtles, big diamond sting rays, a horn shark, sea lions and lots of colorful fish. The harlequin wrasse was distinguishable with its designs of orange, black and white. Apparently no two of these fish are exactly alike, and any of the three colors may predominate, although orange is most common. This fish is commonly known as “Galápagos hogfish.”
We finished the day at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island, walking on pahoe-hoe lava fields with lava cactus, and huge marine iguanas in “piles” to keep warm as evening approached. There were flightless cormorants with their wings spread to warm up more quickly and increase their rate of digestion. It was a spectacular day!
What a day! We started early with Audubon shearwaters, storm petrels, tropic birds, brown noddy terns, boobies and frigate birds “swarming” at Roca Redonda. This impressive rock is the peak of a collapsed and eroded volcano. As we crossed the Equator bottle-nosed dolphins utilized the “pressure wave” of the ship for a free-ride at the bow. Later, on our way to Punta Vicente at the north tip of Isabela Island, a pod of common dolphins joined us, too. They weren’t very interested in socializing, but nevertheless, they jumped high off our bow and played. The common dolphins in the eastern South Pacific don’t bow-ride, but in the eastern North Pacific and New Zealand they do. Their dislike of ships around these waters may be related to previous bad experiences with tuna boats.
During the dinghy ride at Punta Vicente there were some “violent performances”: huge marine iguanas nodded in territorial displays and bashed heads like triceratops. Male Galápagos fur sea lions chased one another. There were peaceful scenes also: flightless cormorants were resting and preening. Penguins were feeding on dense schools of tiny fish and sea turtles were everywhere and seemed to be playing hide and seek around the Zodiacs. Some of us saw a pelagic sun fish, the Mola mola.
The afternoon snorkeling was a like a scene from “Finding Nemo.” There were countless sea turtles, big diamond sting rays, a horn shark, sea lions and lots of colorful fish. The harlequin wrasse was distinguishable with its designs of orange, black and white. Apparently no two of these fish are exactly alike, and any of the three colors may predominate, although orange is most common. This fish is commonly known as “Galápagos hogfish.”
We finished the day at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island, walking on pahoe-hoe lava fields with lava cactus, and huge marine iguanas in “piles” to keep warm as evening approached. There were flightless cormorants with their wings spread to warm up more quickly and increase their rate of digestion. It was a spectacular day!
