Isabela &Fernandina Islands
Today the National Geographic Endeavour went to the western part the Galapagos Islands. Early this morning we saw common dolphins jumping over waves next to the boat and whale spouts in the distance. After the dolphins and whales were gone from sight we crossed the Equator line into the southern hemisphere. Most of the passengers on the boat gathered on the sun deck and took pictures by an Ecuadorian flag made into a long fabric line.
After breakfast around eight in the morning we took a Zodiac ride around Isabela Island in a place called Punta Vicente Roca. Then we went snorkeling around the area. It was amazing! We saw a school of Golden Rays and one spotted ray gliding in the waters beneath us. There was many sea turtles just swimming about the blue waters. There were Galápagos penguins that swam through us, minding their own business while we watched. There was a sleek brown sea lion that blew bubbles through his nose and was very playful. There were also many colorful unique schools of fish. After about fifty minutes of snorkeling it was time to return back to the National Geographic Endeavour. Most of us didn’t want to leave.
We had an expedition to Fernandina Island to see the lava rocks and the mass of marine iguanas. These iguanas are the biggest of the Galápagos. Gabriel, our Naturalist, explained how the female iguanas make nests on this island, so we had to be very careful where we stepped. The nests are holes in the ground where mothers lay up to fourteen eggs. The mother guards the nests for one or two days then she leaves. It takes around 90 days for incubation. The ground was made out of ropey lava, and the beach out of sea shells and sand. There were a lot of crevices in the lava that were easy to step over. We walked onto lava fields where there were a few small ponds full of salt water which came from the ocean. We were gone about an hour and a half and had to walk a little over a mile. We took our Zodiacs back to the National Geographic Endeavour, to end the expedition for the day. Isabela and Fernandina Islands were beautiful islands which are full of exotic wildlife.
