Today we visited the western side of the archipelago, which is the richest and coolest area due to the influence of the upwelling Cromwell Current.
In the afternoon, off Punta Espinosa, Fernandina, we had an encounter with cetaceans. A large pod of friendly bottlenosed dolphins let us approach very close to them and were leaping out of the water, flipping and splashing. Later we found several penguins and many nesting flightless cormorants along the shoreline. Marine iguanas are already getting their breeding colors and sea turtles can be found everywhere. Fernandina Island is a jewel of the Galapagos, and it is especially beautiful at low tide on a sparkling sunny afternoon.
