Northern Isabela and Fernandina
I made a 6:15 a.m. optional wake-up call and for the first hour those who rose early caught a glimpse of a mola mola and then saw nothing of significance but a magnificently calm, deep blue sea. In any case, it was a gorgeous morning! We navigated north of Volcan Wolf and could see the silhouetted shield volcanoes of Isabela Island in the distance. I offered a bottle of wine to anyone who could find us a marine mammal (other than a sea lion) and to our delight, it was not long before shouts of “dolphins!” rang out. First Officer Carlos set our course towards a pod of common dolphins that were over a mile ahead.
Common dolphins do not bow ride in Galápagos, but we were able to approach the pod of a “guestimated” 80-100 dolphins, close enough to enjoy both seeing and hearing them in action. They leapt far out of the water and crashed down with rapid tail slaps. A baby, less than half the size of its mother, shadowed her jumps and dives. Officer Carlos took us alongside and into the pod several times and then set the Islander’s course for the equator line.
Those of the guests who admitted they were “pollywogs” and had not crossed the equator previously at sea, gathered in the bridge and we joined Captain Robalino as he counted down with the GPS to Lat. 00 degrees. We learned about the geology of the archipelago as we navigated close to the eroded Volcan Ecuador. After the boatswain dropped the anchor the crew lowered our fleet of Zodiacs and we headed our for a “panga ride” along the impressive cliffs of Punta Vicente Roca.
We watched sea turtles float on the surface and dive, a cormorant swallowed an octopus, and 8 penguins rested in the surf and then clambered to shore. We observed fur seals and the largest marine iguanas in the islands. Sharp-eyed panga driver Henry spotted 3 grey-stripped tabby feral cats and we were saddened to think of how many birds, lava lizards and baby iguanas these introduced predators eat each month.
Back at the ship we dove into the cool green water and refreshed ourselves before we indulged in a fabulous traditional Ecuadorian buffet lunch…followed by the equally traditional siesta. The afternoon snorkeling outing and hike at Punta Espinosa, Fernandina were no less outstanding than the morning. There were cormorants nesting, piles of marine iguanas, a Galápagos hawk, large dark endemic lava lizards and many of our friends, the sea lions. Yep, today was every bit as exhilarating as the days before. What can we expect tomorrow?
I made a 6:15 a.m. optional wake-up call and for the first hour those who rose early caught a glimpse of a mola mola and then saw nothing of significance but a magnificently calm, deep blue sea. In any case, it was a gorgeous morning! We navigated north of Volcan Wolf and could see the silhouetted shield volcanoes of Isabela Island in the distance. I offered a bottle of wine to anyone who could find us a marine mammal (other than a sea lion) and to our delight, it was not long before shouts of “dolphins!” rang out. First Officer Carlos set our course towards a pod of common dolphins that were over a mile ahead.
Common dolphins do not bow ride in Galápagos, but we were able to approach the pod of a “guestimated” 80-100 dolphins, close enough to enjoy both seeing and hearing them in action. They leapt far out of the water and crashed down with rapid tail slaps. A baby, less than half the size of its mother, shadowed her jumps and dives. Officer Carlos took us alongside and into the pod several times and then set the Islander’s course for the equator line.
Those of the guests who admitted they were “pollywogs” and had not crossed the equator previously at sea, gathered in the bridge and we joined Captain Robalino as he counted down with the GPS to Lat. 00 degrees. We learned about the geology of the archipelago as we navigated close to the eroded Volcan Ecuador. After the boatswain dropped the anchor the crew lowered our fleet of Zodiacs and we headed our for a “panga ride” along the impressive cliffs of Punta Vicente Roca.
We watched sea turtles float on the surface and dive, a cormorant swallowed an octopus, and 8 penguins rested in the surf and then clambered to shore. We observed fur seals and the largest marine iguanas in the islands. Sharp-eyed panga driver Henry spotted 3 grey-stripped tabby feral cats and we were saddened to think of how many birds, lava lizards and baby iguanas these introduced predators eat each month.
Back at the ship we dove into the cool green water and refreshed ourselves before we indulged in a fabulous traditional Ecuadorian buffet lunch…followed by the equally traditional siesta. The afternoon snorkeling outing and hike at Punta Espinosa, Fernandina were no less outstanding than the morning. There were cormorants nesting, piles of marine iguanas, a Galápagos hawk, large dark endemic lava lizards and many of our friends, the sea lions. Yep, today was every bit as exhilarating as the days before. What can we expect tomorrow?
