Click here to view the full album of photos from July 18.
Sula nebouxii
Penguin
On Sunday we woke up at 6:45 to pan-flute Lionel Ritchie musak on an overcast day with a light drizzle. Not to be deterred, after breakfast we had a quick safety meeting and then we all jumped in the 2 pangas for a cruise around the mouth of “Sea Lion island”, Isabela. Despite the cloudy sky, we saw dozens of Blue-Footed Boobies, Noddy Terns, Frigate Birds, iguanas and crabs above the water, and sea-turtles, fur-seals and fish swimming below us.
Panga
After the panga cruise, we immediately changed back into our wetsuits to see what else we could find below the waves. The visibility was not quite as good as the day before, but we still managed to see all kinds of fish, sea turtles, a few small jelly-fish, one shark and a very playful family of seals.
Sea Lion
After about 30 minutes of snorkeling we were all pretty cold, so we got out of the water and into the Pangas. On the way back to the Athala, the drivers chased around a Galapagos sun-fish (mola mola) which has no tail, but a large dorsal fin that sticks above the water and a ventral fin underneath. Because of the strange anatomy, the fish sways and rolls from side-to-side to propel itself forward.
Lunch
We were really cold after that, so we took a long, hot shower and had lunch. This time it was chicken and beef tacos. The meals were all served at a single large table with all the guests seated together. The first portion of the cruise was attended by a family from New York, a family from California, a couple who were friends of the Californians, a couple from Switzerland and an American couple living in Germany who were on their honeymoon. The group naturally separated into three – the Californians who all knew each other from before, the NY family of five, including their three 20-something daughters and then the three couples: Swiss, American and us.
Dive bomber
We were given almost 30 minutes to relax before our next outing, this time for a hike on Fernandina island. This is the first time we really got close to the animals on land. There were dozens of boobies dive-bombing for fish off the edge of the island. They truly are graceful in the air, despite their awkward clown-walk on land. Once we alighted, we saw hundreds upon hundreds of iguanas, lizards and crabs.
Iguana
The iguanas had just finished their lunch as well and many were swimming in a line through the lagoon towards the shore. On the shore itself were several sea lions basking in the sun as well as a male and female pair of terns at their nest. Some previous guides had also collected the bones of a sperm whale which had beached across the island and laid them out in bright contrast to the black lava rock.
0'00.000'
As we sailed to and from Fernandina, we crossed the equator each time. This trip was the first time I had ever crossed the equator by any means. In addition, while we were enjoying some time to read and relax on the upper deck, the captain made an announcement that whales were spouting ahead of us. True enough, about a kilometer ahead of us we could see the spray shooting up into the air every few minutes. Another first for me.
