Isabela and Fernandina Island
Our exciting day started with bottle-nosed dolphins playing while we were circumnavigating Roca Redonda. The sea bird activity is impressively represented by several species that struggle for nesting sites and that delighted us with their stylish flights. They don’t compete much for food out of the up-welling that is formed on this place. Furthermore, we encountered along Bolivar Channel common dolphins performing a jumping contest next to the ship. The dramatic landscape at Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island, explained us how the islands are formed in different periods with sills and dikes. Additionally, marine iguanas were sun-bathing, and fighting for territories on the rocks, even some mating activity was witnessed. Besides, fur sea lions were walking in order to go into the water to cool off.
The late morning we had an almost “snorkel less” experience with sea turtles grazing on the dancing sea weed or the static algae, and some of them were being cleaned by the fish. The sunfish, Mola mola, reflected his 2 ton body mass so we could admire him from the Zodiacs.
In the afternoon, we continued our adventure on the youngest island of Galápagos: the magical Fernandina. This island is named after King Ferdinand who sponsored Christopher Columbus on his enterprise. As King Ferdinand helped to discover a new world, Fernandina unlock us an entrance for origin in isolation. We walked on pahoe-hoe fields surrounded by mangroves and pioneer plants, like the endemic Lava cactus. On this desolate area, at the same time, the flightless cormorants were participating in the “foundation festival” with their nests and chicks. Even at the end of the day, bird activity continued. The other flightless bird, the Galápagos penguins were preening on the rocks and the cormorants were statically drying their inconsequential wings.
Our day finished with the sunset pleasure chronicled on the slopes of these volcanoes.
Our exciting day started with bottle-nosed dolphins playing while we were circumnavigating Roca Redonda. The sea bird activity is impressively represented by several species that struggle for nesting sites and that delighted us with their stylish flights. They don’t compete much for food out of the up-welling that is formed on this place. Furthermore, we encountered along Bolivar Channel common dolphins performing a jumping contest next to the ship. The dramatic landscape at Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island, explained us how the islands are formed in different periods with sills and dikes. Additionally, marine iguanas were sun-bathing, and fighting for territories on the rocks, even some mating activity was witnessed. Besides, fur sea lions were walking in order to go into the water to cool off.
The late morning we had an almost “snorkel less” experience with sea turtles grazing on the dancing sea weed or the static algae, and some of them were being cleaned by the fish. The sunfish, Mola mola, reflected his 2 ton body mass so we could admire him from the Zodiacs.
In the afternoon, we continued our adventure on the youngest island of Galápagos: the magical Fernandina. This island is named after King Ferdinand who sponsored Christopher Columbus on his enterprise. As King Ferdinand helped to discover a new world, Fernandina unlock us an entrance for origin in isolation. We walked on pahoe-hoe fields surrounded by mangroves and pioneer plants, like the endemic Lava cactus. On this desolate area, at the same time, the flightless cormorants were participating in the “foundation festival” with their nests and chicks. Even at the end of the day, bird activity continued. The other flightless bird, the Galápagos penguins were preening on the rocks and the cormorants were statically drying their inconsequential wings.
Our day finished with the sunset pleasure chronicled on the slopes of these volcanoes.
