We navigated to the western side of the enchanted archipelago. The waters in the west are full of nutrients and temperate ecosystems. As we knew there were some chances to find cetaceans along our navigation, we went on the outer decks in search of any wildlife on the calm seas. We were lucky to spot some bottlenose dolphins and a couple of pilot whales, just in front of our vessel.
After breakfast, we had a dry landing on the youngest of the Galápagos Islands, Fernandina. Young barren lava fields cover a vast area of this island. It was low tide, so most of the marine iguanas were coming back from their morning feeding activities in the ocean. This is the only true marine iguana in the planet; they gather in large numbers, lying on top of each other to preserve body heat. Large numbers of black marine iguanas or “imps of darkness,” as Darwin called them, were our welcoming committee. Flightless cormorants were nesting right next to the iguanas, it seems like they have no problem coexisting within a small area that stays dry when the tide is up. Out of the several species of cormorants on the planet this is the only flightless one. In the distance one can see the mother volcano that created this extraordinary geological feature; this is Vulcan Fernandina, being the second highest point in Galápagos, it is also one of the most active volcanoes in the planet.
Primary succession has taken over and species have established where there was no life before. After an incredible hike we jumped in our Zodiacs to head back to National Geographic Endeavour. On our way back we encounter a couple of Bryde’s whales that were friendly enough to stay with us for about 15 minutes circling around our Zodiacs, giving us an incredible chance for photography.
During the afternoon we navigated to the second youngest, yet the largest of the Galápagos Islands. Isabela stands out in the distance with its six different titan volcanoes, lining up a seashore shape. We dropped anchor at a nicely protected cove, and soon got ready to snorkel at Punta Vicente Roca. I have to admit that today was one of the most incredible snorkeling outings at this visitor site. The sun was out, giving us better visibility, the water (although full of plankton) was clear all the way to the bottom, and the wildlife was active and plentiful. We jumped in the water and were greeted by a couple of Galápagos penguins that swam next to us and fished beneath us. Just as we thought it could not get any better we saw our first sea turtle. There was so much excitement, and in the first 10 minutes we saw over 30 more sea turtles, some were resting on the bottom and others eating the green algae that grows on the rocks. The Galápagos sea lions were swimming around us and flightless cormorants dived in search of small fish hiding within the cracks underwater. Many varieties of fish were seen, some in schools others solitary but all were active and curious.
After snorkeling, we headed out on a Zodiac ride along the coast of Isabela, to experience a bit more of the geology and get better opportunities for photography. Galápagos penguins were spotted on the rocks, fur seals (truly sea lions), brown pelicans, and blue-footed boobies were also seen on our outing.
What an incredible day, full of exotic and rich marine life, from whale sightings to a Recap about plankton seen through the microscope. This could not get any better, yet it’s only the third day on our expedition aboard National Geographic Endeavour.
