Dawn. The early, soft light of day which doesn’t last long here on the equator. Almost all of us went ashore on Gardner Bay Beach as the sun rose. It was well worth the early call to see Galapagos sea lions, Espanola mocking birds, Darwin’s finches, and the endemic Galapagos doves…all on our first visit! We even came across several fresh marine turtle tracks imprinted before sunrise. (‘tis the season).

There was a calm turquoise sea, bright white sand, dark brown sea lions, and dramatic clouds threatening rain. (at some point this trip it will rain) For now, all is good.

Snorkeling lessons were had from the beach and the undersea world was now ours to explore.