Sunday morning was the first full day expedition on this voyage of the National Geographic Endeavour. We anchored on the coast of North Seymour, looking forward to the all attractions of the island.
After breakfast, guests going on a long hike disembarked first, followed by guests going on a shorter hike. We had a dry landing at a rocky area, where we immediately saw a couple of blue-footed boobies dancing to impress each other. It is clearly breeding time!
We began our adventure with a briefing and reminders to stay with the group and avoid harming the wildlife. Along a path, we saw more boobies nesting not far from a group of sea lions and marine iguanas. The intensity of the place did not stop as male frigatebirds with the red inflated pouches tried to get the attention of females. Walking along the coast of the island, we came across dry vegetation. As we ventured further island we saw Galápagos iguanas. After a fantastic nature walk, we returned to ship to prepare for kayaking and snorkeling.
At 2:45 in the afternoon, our guests lined up by the disembarkation area to go deepwater snorkeling. At a spot known for great snorkeling, we dove into the water, which was rather cold in the dry season. But the lower temperature is good for productivity in the ocean, a benefit to all creatures in the archipelago. While snorkeling, we saw Galápagos penguins and a great number of colorful tropical fish, sea stars, and sponges, plus a few playful sea lions. Back on board, we changed and prepared for a wet landing on a red sand beach, where we enjoyed a nice walk close to a sea lion colony. The sea lions allowed us to stand close and take great pictures while our experts shared natural history facts. The setting sun gave a nice touch to the red sand of the island as we headed back to ship after a full and fantastic day.
