Isabela and Fernandina
WOW! What a fabulous day! Today we saw just about everything that the rich marine environment in the western realm of Galapagos can offer. We spotted and followed lovely leaping common dolphins soon after sunrise. We saw the pelagic sunfish, mola mola, from the bow of the Polaris as we approached our anchorage at the base of spectacular reddish cliffs at Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela. Later, during our panga ride along the coast, some of us saw the mola mola again and all of us saw many sea turtles, flightless cormorants, Galapagos fur seals and penguins.
Back on board we were just finishing lunch when the bridge informed me that they had sighted whales! For close to an hour we had Bryde’s whales spotting and surfacing around us. We heard one blow and smelled its fishy breath…not many people on Earth can say they have sniffed whale’s breath! There must have been as many as 8 of these baleen whales diving and feeding in the area. For several of our guests this was their first chance in their lives to see whales.
The afternoon began with a snorkel outing, where a Port Jackson shark, sea horse, octopus and many sea turtles delighted the swimmers. The shore visits—both the panga rides and the walks—to the pristine island of Fernandina, were outstanding. There were preening, feeding and resting penguins and nesting cormorants and cormorants diving for the bottom dwelling fish upon which they feed. The ever-present sea lions were seen sleeping on the sand and swimming in the lava pools. Sprawled on the black lava rocks were more marine iguanas than anyone ever needs to see in a lifetime, and this iguana, with a lava lizard on its nose, was no doubt the most photographed animal of this entire marvelous day!
WOW! What a fabulous day! Today we saw just about everything that the rich marine environment in the western realm of Galapagos can offer. We spotted and followed lovely leaping common dolphins soon after sunrise. We saw the pelagic sunfish, mola mola, from the bow of the Polaris as we approached our anchorage at the base of spectacular reddish cliffs at Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela. Later, during our panga ride along the coast, some of us saw the mola mola again and all of us saw many sea turtles, flightless cormorants, Galapagos fur seals and penguins.
Back on board we were just finishing lunch when the bridge informed me that they had sighted whales! For close to an hour we had Bryde’s whales spotting and surfacing around us. We heard one blow and smelled its fishy breath…not many people on Earth can say they have sniffed whale’s breath! There must have been as many as 8 of these baleen whales diving and feeding in the area. For several of our guests this was their first chance in their lives to see whales.
The afternoon began with a snorkel outing, where a Port Jackson shark, sea horse, octopus and many sea turtles delighted the swimmers. The shore visits—both the panga rides and the walks—to the pristine island of Fernandina, were outstanding. There were preening, feeding and resting penguins and nesting cormorants and cormorants diving for the bottom dwelling fish upon which they feed. The ever-present sea lions were seen sleeping on the sand and swimming in the lava pools. Sprawled on the black lava rocks were more marine iguanas than anyone ever needs to see in a lifetime, and this iguana, with a lava lizard on its nose, was no doubt the most photographed animal of this entire marvelous day!
