Isabela & Fernandina Islands
This morning, looking portside we saw the mighty shield volcano Wolf, the highest of all Galápagos volcanoes. Looking starboard we saw a beginning sunrise with the sky already yellow and pink. Lightly cloudy with calm seas, perfect for observing marine life, which we did at the fore deck of the National Geographic Islander. We saw storm petrels, shearwaters, fur seals and an occasional blue-footed booby. The reason we were there was we were about to cross the equator, and on this ship that doesn’t happen without a proper ceremony! Thus King Neptune surprised us all, chaperoned by two pirates, he encouraged the children to participate in a traditional Galápagos- zero -degrees initiation. They had to mimic sea lions, blue-footed boobies and marine iguanas, something they should be doing very well by now, since they have seen these animals so often the last couple days.
After this fun start and a hearty breakfast, we headed out for a Zodiac ride, admiring the impressive cliffs of Ecuador volcano, an extinct shield volcano half disappeared in the ocean. We could see clear examples of sea- and wind erosion, basaltic dikes, tuff stone and cinder strata, and at the intertidal zone we saw fur seals, marine iguanas, nazca boobies, brown noddies and green sea turtles. Getting warmed up; we almost couldn’t wait to get in the water, which we did after donning our snorkel equipment back on board.
Snorkeling along the same coast we saw a true kaleidoscope of colors. The walls here are littered with benthic starfish, sponges, soft- hard- and fan corals, barnacles, sea urchins, and oysters. We also found green sea turtles, penguins, flightless cormorants, plenty of reef fish and sea lions. This area is so abundant with life because of the upwelling of the Cromwell current. It is also know as a cleaning station for ocean sunfish, an animal so odd looking that it startles me every time I see it. Alas, we didn’t see any this time, but after swimming in such an incredible encyclopedia of life, which Punta Vicente Roca is, you don’t need much more.
After a very nice Italian-style lunch, where I enjoyed foccacia bread and a Caesar salad, Jason told us about the human history of Galápagos. Imagine all the people that he mentioned in one room; that would be a very diverse and interesting crowd!
Next on our program was a visit to Punta Espinosa, for an afternoon hike. We landed at a dry lava flow and saw the marine iguanas swimming back from their foraging, the first of them already warming up and digesting their menu of seaweed and algae. On the hike, in cloudy but dry weather, we saw many flightless cormorants and further on the trail even a nest, holding a single egg with both parents present. It made a perfect painting, with a mass of marine iguanas on the backdrop, a lolling sea lion in the surf, and Sally Lightfoot crabs speckled in black and white with bright orange. We also encountered snakes, a hawk, many lava lizards, green sea turtles, and various shorebirds. Punta Espinosa often overwhelms people, hosting so many animals on such a small area. The remoteness, harshness and the ever-ongoing surf surrounding this small peninsula tops this celebration of life in all its strange forms.
Having enjoyed another fantastic day in Galápagos, we finished in style with cocktails on the top deck, followed by a delicious dinner.
