Isabela Island
It was twelve-thirty in the afternoon and my heart was pumping with excitement. I kept looking around and all what I could see were faces expressing content, joy and satisfaction. Why? I’ll tell you why, as soon as my mind processes all the information.
We just came back from an unforgettable Zodiac ride along the coast of Punta Vicente Roca, located at the northern tip of Isabela Island. For two and a half hours we followed a couple of killer whales, Orcinus orca, who enriched even more the already incredible view of the area.
The sighting of the whales themselves could have been good enough to make my day, but did I even mention that from time to time the whales played with us, swimming under the Zodiacs and getting so close that we could swear they made eye contact with some of us?
Did I even mention that, when encountering an unlucky sea lion on their way, they decided to try it out for a snack? It was absolutely “nature-brutal” to find out about the fatal destiny of the poor sea lion, but nature is nature, and there was nothing we could do about it…
By now, you are probably wondering what the deal is with the picture. How was that taken? I wish I could say the picture above is mine, but no, I was not that lucky! The picture was taken by Cindy Manning, our fearless Expedition Leader, who bravely put her hand in the water and took the picture as the orca cruised under the Zodiac.
By the way, our encounter with the orca did not start during the Zodiac ride. It was earlier in the morning when, on board of the Islander, a different pod of them were spotted near the ship. As we got closer, we realized the orcas had just finished their breakfast, and the main dish was a Risso’s dolphin, Grampus griseus. Pieces and bits of the dolphin were found all over the place, including the dorsal fin in its entirety, and the unmistakable “scratching patterning” of some pieces of the dolphin’s skin gave us the final clue for identification.
When I went to bed last night, I had no clue what the next day had prepared for all of us. It is close to midnight and I am anxious to find out about what it is going to happen tomorrow, so if you excuse me, I am already in my pyjamas (I know, that was much more information than you needed it to know!) and I’m looking forward to that sunrise…
It was twelve-thirty in the afternoon and my heart was pumping with excitement. I kept looking around and all what I could see were faces expressing content, joy and satisfaction. Why? I’ll tell you why, as soon as my mind processes all the information.
We just came back from an unforgettable Zodiac ride along the coast of Punta Vicente Roca, located at the northern tip of Isabela Island. For two and a half hours we followed a couple of killer whales, Orcinus orca, who enriched even more the already incredible view of the area.
The sighting of the whales themselves could have been good enough to make my day, but did I even mention that from time to time the whales played with us, swimming under the Zodiacs and getting so close that we could swear they made eye contact with some of us?
Did I even mention that, when encountering an unlucky sea lion on their way, they decided to try it out for a snack? It was absolutely “nature-brutal” to find out about the fatal destiny of the poor sea lion, but nature is nature, and there was nothing we could do about it…
By now, you are probably wondering what the deal is with the picture. How was that taken? I wish I could say the picture above is mine, but no, I was not that lucky! The picture was taken by Cindy Manning, our fearless Expedition Leader, who bravely put her hand in the water and took the picture as the orca cruised under the Zodiac.
By the way, our encounter with the orca did not start during the Zodiac ride. It was earlier in the morning when, on board of the Islander, a different pod of them were spotted near the ship. As we got closer, we realized the orcas had just finished their breakfast, and the main dish was a Risso’s dolphin, Grampus griseus. Pieces and bits of the dolphin were found all over the place, including the dorsal fin in its entirety, and the unmistakable “scratching patterning” of some pieces of the dolphin’s skin gave us the final clue for identification.
When I went to bed last night, I had no clue what the next day had prepared for all of us. It is close to midnight and I am anxious to find out about what it is going to happen tomorrow, so if you excuse me, I am already in my pyjamas (I know, that was much more information than you needed it to know!) and I’m looking forward to that sunrise…
