We began our day on North Seymour Island with a walk, where we encountered great and magnificent frigatebirds in full mating display. All along the trail to the coast and in the interior of the island, we heard the loud calls of the males to the females flying above, and the males were also showing off their bright red pouches while flapping their long wings vigorously. On some occasions, we got to see females landing next to the displaying males and interacting. We also got to see blue-footed boobies doing their mating display, while some other couples were already established with their nest ready.
After exploring North Seymour Island, we returned to our ship and navigated towards Rábida Island, where we went snorkeling in deep and shallow waters. Some of our guests encountered a very large manta ray, while others swam with a couple of white-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos sea lions, and several schools of fish. Later on the afternoon, we hiked along a scenic trail to enjoy the great views of the island, and we also learned about the endemic and native vegetation of the area. One of the surprises this afternoon was a lonely greater flamingo, which we found resting in a small lagoon near the red beach. We also encountered Galapagos sea lions, and a juvenile Galapagos hawk, well hidden in some bushes as it observed people walking by.
After an exciting day in Galapagos, we returned to our ship, ready to see what tomorrow brings us.
