In the morning we visited Gardner Bay. Here for the first time we had the option to explore the underwater world of the Galapagos. We were lucky to encounter baby sea lions that are becoming independent in this time in the year as their mothers have another pup. After snorkelling we returned to the ship for a quick change to visit the famous beach of Gardner Bay. The soft white sand of this beach has attracted for centuries sea lions to form colonies. In the moment we arrived we also were welcomed by mockingbirds that are desperate in this time of the year for water.
Later as the day continued and the National Geographic Islander moved to the next destination, we had the traditional Ecuadorian fest of food on board, to show our guests the flavours of the country.
In the afternoon we visited Punta Suarez. Española is the hotspot for seabirds and other species that wander around these waters. In our hike we visited colonies of different species of animals. We started with the sea lions that are giving birth in this time of the year and we saw pups of a few weeks old. All the reptiles in Galapagos start displaying in this month, and the male marine iguanas we found, had their mating colours to attract the ladies. We were lucky to have found waved albatrosses during our visit, this was the last time we saw them until they come back in April for another breeding cycle.
The day was full of activities that kept us busy, but it is only the beginning.
