National Geographic Endeavour II rounded the north of Isabela to reach Fernandina, the westernmost and youngest island of the Galapagos. As the ship navigated, we woke up to see the majestic shield volcanoes of the islands all around us. These waters are very rich with an array of life. A pod of common dolphins was spotted in the distance. On land, we encountered large colonies of marine iguanas, sea lions, lava lizards, crabs, turtles, and various seabirds, including cormorants, blue-footed boobies, and penguins. While snorkeling, we spotted green sea turtles and marine iguanas feeding on algae beneath the waves. In the afternoon, we explored Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela by Zodiac. We encountered more wildlife, including Galapagos fur seals and lots of sea turtles, flightless cormorants, and Galapagos penguins. We celebrated as we crossed the equator, ending a wonderful expedition day.
4/22/2025
Read
National Geographic Gemini
Floreana Island
On board National Geographic Gemini , we started our day just after sunrise kayaking along Loberia Bay. It was a very special outing as we had sea lions join us close to our kayaks. There also were baby blacktip reef sharks, spotted eagle rays, and sea turtles. In the afternoon, we snorkeled with sea lions and then we visited Cormorant Point. We encountered more sea lions on the beach, blue-footed boobies along the coast, and flamingos in a lagoon behind the beach. To close Earth Day, we all watched the premiere of the documentary, Sea Lions of The Galapagos, by Disney. Certified Photo Instructor Ivan worked as a field assistant and photographer on the project, which made it a very special and personal event for our guests, especially after experiencing sea lions up close and hearing Ivan’s stories about the shooting of the film.
