Early this morning we arrived in the western realm of the archipelago and headed for Fernandina Island, the youngest and most pristine island. On Fernandina, we hiked on an uplifted area known as Punta Espinoza. We got an incredible opportunity to walk among sunbathing Galápagos marine iguanas. These reptiles are unique for this behavior and will soon go on to feed on the algae underwater. As the sun grew more intense, these iguanas became very active and we saw them heading for the water to feed.
One of the morning’s most interesting sightings was a lava lizard catching a small Sally Lightfoot crab. After pulling three of the crab’s legs to eat, the lizard let the crab crawl away. We were also very excited to see some newborn Galápagos sea lions on the shore. These are the first pups of the season and they looked very healthy. Their mothers were not in the area but the babies were playing near the edge of the water and trying to climb onto the rocks.
After we left Fernandina we navigated to Isabela Island to Punta Vicente Roca. When we arrived in the afternoon, we got into our Zodiacs and went deepwater snorkeling, where we encountered many green sea turtles, Galápagos flightless cormorants, and a large school of spotfin burrfish.
Once we returned to the ship, we got ready and went on a Zodiac ride along the coast of Punta Vicente Roca. Back onboard the National Geographic Endeavour once more, we lifted up anchor and crossed the equator while watching the sunset from the bridge. A great ending to an amazing day!
