In the area, the abundant algae beds have given us the largest marine iguanas, in the largest colonies, of Galapagos. It is particularly enjoyable seeing them at this time of the year as they are colorful and active, this being their breeding season. We had snorkeling opportunities in Punta Vicente Roca, where the brave were rewarded with tantalizing underwater glimpses of the impossible Mola mola or oceanic sunfish.
We had Zodiac cruises along the coast of both Isabela and Fernandina, where we observed both the island's strange flightless birds, the Galapagos penguin and the flightless cormorant. The penguins were very busy, surrounded by many juveniles and there was much braying and courtship going on, as well as a lot of molting.
The greatest surprise came towards the end of the Zodiac cruise as the short walkers, led by our Expedition Leader Monique and myself, saw a whale spout and the dorsal fin in the distance. Our Zodiac drivers took us to the area as fast as possible, where we waited awhile to see if the cetaceans would reappear. We were all about to give up, when a loud WHOOOSH made us practically jump out of our skins, and a large animal surfaced not ten feet from our vessel! We had made a preliminary guess that the whale we had spotted in the distance was a Bryde's or tropical whale. This, however, is virtually impossible to confirm under normal conditions, as they are so similar to their close relatives, the fin or sei whales. The only unmistakable way to identify the Bryde's is by getting a glimpse of the head, which has three parallel longitudinal ridges from the blowhole. Well, needless to say, at that range the identification was unequivocal!
The whale came up to our Zodiac at this close a range at least three times, each one unexpected, but much enjoyed by all. The double blowhole, sign of a Mysticete or baleen whale, would appear first, blasting a plume high above the animal. This was repeatedly followed by the rolling back and well pronounced dorsal fin of the animal. Bryde's are rorqual whales, that is whales that have several pleats extending from underneath the lower jaw to behind the flippers. These grooves allow a tremendous expansion of the mouth cavity, which takes in large amounts of water. This is then forced through the baleens, and prey thus caught.
This really was an unforgettable experience; in particular for our two youngest guests this cruise, whose first whale sighting this was!
