Today our guests awoke to find sunshine and a calm ocean. After a delicious and rather substantial breakfast we boarded the Zodiacs and motored in to land on a steep black sand beach at Urbina Bay. This morning we had the choice of a long two mile walk, or a shorter one mile walk. We dried our feet and put on our hiking shoes and headed off on a loop trail. The crest of the black beach was pitted with sea turtle nests. Four groups, with a naturalist leading each one, went out this morning and we all had a marvelous time! On all the hikes we saw at least one giant tortoise and several large yellow land iguanas. Galapagos hawks, yellow warblers, mockingbirds, and many finches were also seen. We hiked along a sandy and rocky trail on terrain that had been part of the sea floor until it was suddenly uplifted in 1954. The naturalists pointed out coral heads and tubeworms that had been left high and dry when the magma shifted below ground and the coast was pushed up.

When we reached the beach we had time for a refreshing swim before boarding the Zodiacs and returning to the ship. Juan Carlos and a group of the children who are on board this week went Zodiac driving among the waves and into an ever increasing steady breeze. They were soaked and laughing but had each taken a turn at the throttle when they climbed back on board the National Geographic Islander. Because of the steady strong wind, when Captain Pablo Garces asked our boson Max to haul up the ship’s anchor, they discovered it was stuck on the rocky sea bottom. We motored forward and back and finally the anchor came free and we continued on north to Tagus Cove for our afternoon visit.

The kayakers were the first to disembark at 1445 with Walter. They paddled along the dramatic coastline of Tagus Cove and enjoyed seeing cormorants and pelicans perched or feeding along the shore and sea lions, penguins and sea turtles swimming. Juan Carlos and Ruly took two groups of snorkelers and, despite the rather greenish water, they were delighted to snorkel again among penguins, cormorants and sea turtles.

At 1630 Walter took a second round of kayakers out and they had perfect conditions; they paddled serenely along the shore viewing resting and feeding sea birds, gracefully sea lions and sea turtles bobbing up for air as they fed on marine algae. I sent two groups of hikers up a set of wooden steps and along a dusty trail for a fast paced climb to an overlook of Darwin Crater Lake. They continued inland and climbed a small cone to look northward towards the slopes of Darwin Volcano. As the sun began to set the view was splendid from the end of the trail and everyone returned to the ship contented and tired.

I also offered a Zodiac cruise this afternoon for those who did not want to hike or kayak. We too had a delightful afternoon’s outing, and were pleased to find among many other things three penguins and a very large marine iguana grazing on green algae at the water’s edge. Sea turtles surfaced to breath beside the Zodiac, cormorants sat on nests and dove for fish, and a few sea lions and blue footed boobies rested on the beautifully layered and eroded tuff stone shores.

Following our evening recap and briefing and a well-deserved dinner, Walter invited us up to the sky deck to star gaze. We turned off the ship’s lights but could do nothing about the brilliant and blazing ¾ moon. The big dipper was upside down and we admired the Southern Cross. What a wonderful way to end another marvelous day in the magical Islas Encantadas!