Isabela and Fernandina Islands
Today we started our activities early in the morning, navigating along the northern coast of Isabela, which is the largest island of this archipelago. It was a beautiful morning; the sun was shining, we had clear skies, and calm seas. Conditions were just perfect for cetacean watching and in fact we saw quite a few kinds. We first spotted bottlenose dolphins. Then there was a tropical (or Bryde’s) whale with a calf. Isabela offers great geology scenery also, so our Captain took us very close to the shoreline to enjoy a cross section of what is left of an eroded shield volcano.
Later in the morning, after a fantastic Zodiac cruise where we found the first penguins and flightless cormorants of our trip, we continued on our way towards Fernandina Island. We were delighted to find a pod of common dolphins. As they are very acrobatic creatures, they were jumping out of the water, flipping and leaping not far from the ship. It was awesome! To complete our marine mammal day, we saw a sperm whale logging on the surface for several minutes and then watched it in a spectacular dive to the depths.
During a lovely afternoon walk along the shores of Punta Espinoza on Fernandina, we had a great time exploring what is one of the most pristine islands in the world. Among many other excellent sightings, we saw a lava heron in a hunting pose fishing in a tidal pool (see today’s picture). The western realm of Galapagos was at its best on this fabulous day!
Today we started our activities early in the morning, navigating along the northern coast of Isabela, which is the largest island of this archipelago. It was a beautiful morning; the sun was shining, we had clear skies, and calm seas. Conditions were just perfect for cetacean watching and in fact we saw quite a few kinds. We first spotted bottlenose dolphins. Then there was a tropical (or Bryde’s) whale with a calf. Isabela offers great geology scenery also, so our Captain took us very close to the shoreline to enjoy a cross section of what is left of an eroded shield volcano.
Later in the morning, after a fantastic Zodiac cruise where we found the first penguins and flightless cormorants of our trip, we continued on our way towards Fernandina Island. We were delighted to find a pod of common dolphins. As they are very acrobatic creatures, they were jumping out of the water, flipping and leaping not far from the ship. It was awesome! To complete our marine mammal day, we saw a sperm whale logging on the surface for several minutes and then watched it in a spectacular dive to the depths.
During a lovely afternoon walk along the shores of Punta Espinoza on Fernandina, we had a great time exploring what is one of the most pristine islands in the world. Among many other excellent sightings, we saw a lava heron in a hunting pose fishing in a tidal pool (see today’s picture). The western realm of Galapagos was at its best on this fabulous day!
