It was 6:00 a.m. with plenty of light on the north coast of Isabela Island. The National Geographic Islander explored these calm blue waters under a beautiful orange light of sunrise. We were gathered on the decks with warm coffee in hand admiring the majestic volcanoes of Isabela and the sea birds as they skimmed the ocean in search of their morning meals. Suddenly someone said “dolphins, dolphins!” Certainly there were dolphins! There was a pod of around five hundred common dolphins breaching everywhere! This was the way we started this exciting day.
By mid-morning we reached Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island. Here, we explored the shore from the Zodiacs. The rocky shore on this island is home to many unique species of animals such as: Galápagos Penguins, flightless cormorants and many other birds. We also went snorkeling in the calm waters at Punta Vicente Roca. It is another world full of life. There were many types of fish and we had close encounters with sea turtles!
In the afternoon we landed on Fernandina Island. This island is the youngest of the Galapagos. This island is covered by vast lava flows. It is an active volcano whose last eruption took place in April 2009. Here we explored the shore where hundreds of iguanas gather to bask in the tropical sun after foraging in the shallow sea. The young lava field is dotted with pioneer lava cactuses. We were also delighted to walk among sea lions, sally light foot crabs and flightless cormorants.
This young island has the largest colonies of marine iguanas. These reptiles form large groups along the shore. During the walk on this island we could see that the breeding cycle for the marine iguanas is just starting, because there are male iguanas bobbing their heads and marking their territories.
This is the very beginning of a new cycle of life in the Galapagos Islands!
