Isabela & Fernandina Islands
What an extraordinary and rewarding day we spent on these remote and pristine realms of this enchanted archipelago.
We started very early having a great view of the outcrop of Roca Redonda in the horizon. We circumnavigated around the tip of this enormous submerged volcano. Hundreds of marine birds carry their lives there, literally in the middle of nowhere.
Later on in the morning we all gathered on deck for our crossing of the Equatorial line; for which we all received official signed certificates suitable for framing. Then it was time to disembark via Zodiac - that was extremely exciting for all of us. It wasn’t soon after departing in the Zodiacs that we encountered a colony of Galápagos fur seals. It was an awesome spectacle to see a group of baby fur seals playing and climbing the rocky outcrops they call home. A juvenile cormorant was a delight to observe for it was swimming alongside our Zodiac playing with the ropes. Every now and then we got to see it diving and reappearing on the surface. The star of the morning was without a doubt the bizarre-looking giant sunfish (Mola mola). We had a wonderful view of this gigantic fish. With our hearts still pumping excitement through our veins we headed out on a snorkeling trip along the coast of Ecuador volcano. After the first initial shock of the noticeably cold water characteristic of this region, we all had a blast of a time, for we had the thrill to swim with sea turtles; some even swam with a Galápagos penguin!
In the afternoon, we explored Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island. This place is considered to be one of the most beautiful locations in the Galápagos. Amazing young black lava flows merging with the surrounding blue waters create an idyllical setting for the abundant wildlife found in this place. Galápagos sea lions basking peacefully on the sand and very large groups of marine iguanas were perfect picture subjects to all. The flightless cormorant, one of the rarest bird species of the Galápagos, was admired as well. Sincerely we did not want to come back on board, we wanted to continue living our dream but a beautiful sunset told us that it was time to come back to the Polaris. An exciting full day of discovery finally ended leaving our minds and spirits ready for what is yet to come in the next days of our expedition.
What an extraordinary and rewarding day we spent on these remote and pristine realms of this enchanted archipelago.
We started very early having a great view of the outcrop of Roca Redonda in the horizon. We circumnavigated around the tip of this enormous submerged volcano. Hundreds of marine birds carry their lives there, literally in the middle of nowhere.
Later on in the morning we all gathered on deck for our crossing of the Equatorial line; for which we all received official signed certificates suitable for framing. Then it was time to disembark via Zodiac - that was extremely exciting for all of us. It wasn’t soon after departing in the Zodiacs that we encountered a colony of Galápagos fur seals. It was an awesome spectacle to see a group of baby fur seals playing and climbing the rocky outcrops they call home. A juvenile cormorant was a delight to observe for it was swimming alongside our Zodiac playing with the ropes. Every now and then we got to see it diving and reappearing on the surface. The star of the morning was without a doubt the bizarre-looking giant sunfish (Mola mola). We had a wonderful view of this gigantic fish. With our hearts still pumping excitement through our veins we headed out on a snorkeling trip along the coast of Ecuador volcano. After the first initial shock of the noticeably cold water characteristic of this region, we all had a blast of a time, for we had the thrill to swim with sea turtles; some even swam with a Galápagos penguin!
In the afternoon, we explored Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island. This place is considered to be one of the most beautiful locations in the Galápagos. Amazing young black lava flows merging with the surrounding blue waters create an idyllical setting for the abundant wildlife found in this place. Galápagos sea lions basking peacefully on the sand and very large groups of marine iguanas were perfect picture subjects to all. The flightless cormorant, one of the rarest bird species of the Galápagos, was admired as well. Sincerely we did not want to come back on board, we wanted to continue living our dream but a beautiful sunset told us that it was time to come back to the Polaris. An exciting full day of discovery finally ended leaving our minds and spirits ready for what is yet to come in the next days of our expedition.
