Early in the morning we wake up with the ship still moving along the coast of the largest island of Galapagos, in the big blue ocean we spot about three Bryde’s whales from a far distance. Soon after watching the whales, we had breakfast and got ready to celebrate the crossing of the Ecuador line, for many people this is the first time on board a ship.
We soon arrived to Punta Vicente Roca, and we went on a zodiac ride along the coast is just ideal to enjoy the amazing geology and wildlife. Many turtles are found in the bay mostly for resting; bird activity was at its highest for the abundance of fish. Many pelicans and boobies diving just off the shore we spotted. Sea lions and fur seals also live and fish around this area too.
After this we navigate to our next destination the Island of Fernandina, the youngest island of them all. Punta Espinoza is an extraordinary visitor site, where many species of animals are seen. Just at the beginning hundreds of marine iguanas are basking in the sun and others in the water gathering algae from the sea.
Flightless cormorants nest on the rocks at this time. We were lucky to spot a few of these endemic birds, some nesting and other drying their wings. An adult flightless cormorant was spotted feeding tis chick, right in front of us. Vegetation here is poor due to the young age of the island but some have found their way to survive like the unique lava cactus a true pioneer on oceanic islands.
