Fernandina and Isabela Islands
Every time that I hear the phrase, ‘‘we are going to the west’’, I know immediately that this is synonymous with adventure, unexpected events, and mystery. It means that something new may happen, and today, it did! Looking back over our visits to both islands, I have to say that my spontaneous snorkel outing in the morning during our panga ride along the coast of Punta Vicente was the definite highlight. I took the under water camera just in case something interesting might occur. I wanted to be prepared and it is lucky that I was. After seeing penguins, turtles and flightless cormorants in the water, we spotted some large dorsal fins in the distance. Our pangueros (the zodiac drivers) slowly approached them for a closer inspection. The fins, it turned out, were those of mola molas (ocean sunfish)!
Immediately I jumped in the water and with a bit of luck I managed to get some nice footage of these odd creatures. Later in the day I showed my short video on the ship’s plasma screen for all our guests. After lunch, we went for a snorkel at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island. While we were in the water and to the delight of our guests, several sea turtles swam very close to us. For me, the main attraction was a sea horse that we found near the bottom in this shallow water. This is only the second time in my life that I have found a seahorse during a snorkel session. As one can easily see, the under water world of Galapagos is just as full of variety and excitement as is the extraordinary life on the land.
Every time that I hear the phrase, ‘‘we are going to the west’’, I know immediately that this is synonymous with adventure, unexpected events, and mystery. It means that something new may happen, and today, it did! Looking back over our visits to both islands, I have to say that my spontaneous snorkel outing in the morning during our panga ride along the coast of Punta Vicente was the definite highlight. I took the under water camera just in case something interesting might occur. I wanted to be prepared and it is lucky that I was. After seeing penguins, turtles and flightless cormorants in the water, we spotted some large dorsal fins in the distance. Our pangueros (the zodiac drivers) slowly approached them for a closer inspection. The fins, it turned out, were those of mola molas (ocean sunfish)!
Immediately I jumped in the water and with a bit of luck I managed to get some nice footage of these odd creatures. Later in the day I showed my short video on the ship’s plasma screen for all our guests. After lunch, we went for a snorkel at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island. While we were in the water and to the delight of our guests, several sea turtles swam very close to us. For me, the main attraction was a sea horse that we found near the bottom in this shallow water. This is only the second time in my life that I have found a seahorse during a snorkel session. As one can easily see, the under water world of Galapagos is just as full of variety and excitement as is the extraordinary life on the land.
