In the early morning, we dropped anchor at Gardner Bay, on the northern coast of Española. This is the oldest island of the archipelago, and a very interesting one. Gardner beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galápagos; its fine white sands are the perfect spot for a colony of endemic sea lions, which we found sunbathing, sleeping or displaying their natural and unique curiosity towards us. Behind the beach, we were able to find other endemic creatures of Española, like the mockingbird and the lava lizard. This is a very serene place where one can commune with nature, and a stroll along this stunning beach was a must. Our more experienced snorkelers had a chance to explore the underwater world of the Galápagos at Gardner Islet, not far from the beach. Here they had close encounters with some playful Galápagos sea lions, as well as various species of local fish like the blue-chin parrotfish and the razor surgeonfish.
In the afternoon, we changed anchorage and prepared for our visit to Punta Suárez. This is considered one of the highlights of the archipelago, and we soon understood why. The “punta” or point protrudes into the sea, and a strong current sweeps around it, creating magnificent waves. Along the trail, the wildlife was everywhere, and we were amazed by the number of marine iguanas. This endemic subspecies has a particular coloration only present in Española, with some red and green scales which are enhanced during the breeding season. Where the cliffs begin along the southern coast of Punta Suárez, we started to find the nesting sites of the local seabirds: Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls and yellow-crowned night herons. As we kept moving inland, we started crossing the nesting areas of the waved albatrosses as well. This is the only species of albatross in the world that nests and breeds in the tropics, and the waved albatrosses prefer Española because of its topography: flat albeit rocky terrain and tall cliffs facing the southeastern trade winds. The albatrosses were quite active this afternoon, some of them landing and others taking off before our eyes. Just to see them soaring above our heads was a majestic scene. As we completed the loop the scenery turned more and more dramatic with the tall cliffs and the fantastic wave action of this afternoon. The sun began to set and the light faded, so we had to hurry back to our landing; it was time to leave, but the images of such a memorable and unique place will stay with us forever.
