Española Island
Today we started with a very early morning activity. The option offered was a long walk at Punta Suarez, Española Island. As we have a Photo Expedition trip this week, it is obvious to think that the photographers were the guests scrambling for this option, hoping to take pictures with what they call “the perfect light!” Punta Suarez is a place teeming with unique wildlife adapted particularly to this place; this is what we call endemism. You never know what will come across when walking on this area - and its landscaping is simply astonishing! The cliffs at this area are often dotted with seabirds looking for nesting grounds, especially Nazca and blue-footed boobies.
The breeding season for sea lions started a couple of months ago, which means that wherever you go when walking along the shoreline, you will find yourself surrounded by new born pups guarded by their mothers. Massive-looking beach master sea lions are guarding the females and the offspring in every single area.
As soon as we entered the Albatross territory we were pleasantly surprised to see part of their courtship ritual, and believe me, there is nothing that equals the gracefulness and majestic appearance of a waved albatross when impressing its future mate. Blue footed boobies gave us as well an interesting dance show as we were heading back to our good ship Polaris.
With this large array of wild life, it would have been difficult not to get great images of the island and its inhabitants. It was also interesting to see the dancing ritual of the photographers as they were showing off their pictures, as their chests puffed up and their faces filled with immense pride. When we thought that all what we were doing was coming back on board, big splashes on the water diverted our attention. It was a big Galápagos sea lion bull feeding on a large octopus. We knew that these marine mammals include octopi in their diets, but this is the first time that we've really seen it happening so close! I have never seen anybody take cameras out so fast, and for the next few minutes a whole new symphony of sounds that included lots of exclamations and camera shutters clicking filled the air!
For the afternoon, our destination was the north side of Española, Gardner bay. This area has one of the most remarkable white sandy beaches and it is a home for the Galápagos sea lion, of course! We had several options to offer to our guests and all of them sounded like a lot of fun, and it was hard to pick among them - so the majority of guests decided to try it all! The snorkeling group had a blast when encountering large amounts of tropical fish at the rocky shores of Tortuga Island (no, the name does not come from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean!) These underwater natural lava reefs prove that the waters at this corner of the world are of the most productive on the globe. Our main highlight here was not only the variety of colorful fish, but the sighting of a Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, as well as a group of young sea lions playing with us constantly and encouraging us to be part of their game.
This was just a remarkable and unforgettable day!
Today we started with a very early morning activity. The option offered was a long walk at Punta Suarez, Española Island. As we have a Photo Expedition trip this week, it is obvious to think that the photographers were the guests scrambling for this option, hoping to take pictures with what they call “the perfect light!” Punta Suarez is a place teeming with unique wildlife adapted particularly to this place; this is what we call endemism. You never know what will come across when walking on this area - and its landscaping is simply astonishing! The cliffs at this area are often dotted with seabirds looking for nesting grounds, especially Nazca and blue-footed boobies.
The breeding season for sea lions started a couple of months ago, which means that wherever you go when walking along the shoreline, you will find yourself surrounded by new born pups guarded by their mothers. Massive-looking beach master sea lions are guarding the females and the offspring in every single area.
As soon as we entered the Albatross territory we were pleasantly surprised to see part of their courtship ritual, and believe me, there is nothing that equals the gracefulness and majestic appearance of a waved albatross when impressing its future mate. Blue footed boobies gave us as well an interesting dance show as we were heading back to our good ship Polaris.
With this large array of wild life, it would have been difficult not to get great images of the island and its inhabitants. It was also interesting to see the dancing ritual of the photographers as they were showing off their pictures, as their chests puffed up and their faces filled with immense pride. When we thought that all what we were doing was coming back on board, big splashes on the water diverted our attention. It was a big Galápagos sea lion bull feeding on a large octopus. We knew that these marine mammals include octopi in their diets, but this is the first time that we've really seen it happening so close! I have never seen anybody take cameras out so fast, and for the next few minutes a whole new symphony of sounds that included lots of exclamations and camera shutters clicking filled the air!
For the afternoon, our destination was the north side of Española, Gardner bay. This area has one of the most remarkable white sandy beaches and it is a home for the Galápagos sea lion, of course! We had several options to offer to our guests and all of them sounded like a lot of fun, and it was hard to pick among them - so the majority of guests decided to try it all! The snorkeling group had a blast when encountering large amounts of tropical fish at the rocky shores of Tortuga Island (no, the name does not come from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean!) These underwater natural lava reefs prove that the waters at this corner of the world are of the most productive on the globe. Our main highlight here was not only the variety of colorful fish, but the sighting of a Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, as well as a group of young sea lions playing with us constantly and encouraging us to be part of their game.
This was just a remarkable and unforgettable day!
