Isabela & Fernandina Islands
This morning we visited one of the most recent marine sites opened by the National Park, called Punta Vicente Roca. Only aquatic activities such as snorkeling or scuba diving are allowed in this area. For those of us who were not much into swimming this morning, we dedicated most of our time exploring the geology of Ecuador volcano by Zodiac. As we were riding along the cliff, we could appreciate the “grandeur” of the place.
As we continued our ride, we encountered different species of marine birds such as flightless cormorants, penguins, boobies and frigatebirds. We also found some of the largest marine iguanas of the Galápagos, and like if that was not enough, we had a glimpse of the largest bony fish in the region, the Mola mola, also known as the oceanic Sun fish.
Our day was already full of experiences and sightings, but we went ahead and started our motoring to reach perhaps the largest “virgin” island in the world, Fernandina. This is a place were no creature has ever been introduced and we are all very proud of it.
During our sail we found lots of common dolphins performing their high jumps into the air as if they were trying to fly!
During our afternoon visit, large marine iguana’s colonies were just waiting to be photographed. We had to be extremely careful not to step on some of them, and even so, some of us nearly did! This is due to the fact that marine iguanas show literally no fear towards humans, they do not move much and they blend so well with the surroundings. Playful sea lions were also in the area enjoying the intertidal pools, and the coming and going of cormorants from and to their nesting grounds was something fascinated to just sit and observe. The island was so magical that deserved more time to be explored but unfortunately, the sunlight disappeared rapidly (as it usually happens at the Equator), forcing us to return to our good ship Islander, where a really happy crowd could enjoy the dying sun behind the volcano…
This morning we visited one of the most recent marine sites opened by the National Park, called Punta Vicente Roca. Only aquatic activities such as snorkeling or scuba diving are allowed in this area. For those of us who were not much into swimming this morning, we dedicated most of our time exploring the geology of Ecuador volcano by Zodiac. As we were riding along the cliff, we could appreciate the “grandeur” of the place.
As we continued our ride, we encountered different species of marine birds such as flightless cormorants, penguins, boobies and frigatebirds. We also found some of the largest marine iguanas of the Galápagos, and like if that was not enough, we had a glimpse of the largest bony fish in the region, the Mola mola, also known as the oceanic Sun fish.
Our day was already full of experiences and sightings, but we went ahead and started our motoring to reach perhaps the largest “virgin” island in the world, Fernandina. This is a place were no creature has ever been introduced and we are all very proud of it.
During our sail we found lots of common dolphins performing their high jumps into the air as if they were trying to fly!
During our afternoon visit, large marine iguana’s colonies were just waiting to be photographed. We had to be extremely careful not to step on some of them, and even so, some of us nearly did! This is due to the fact that marine iguanas show literally no fear towards humans, they do not move much and they blend so well with the surroundings. Playful sea lions were also in the area enjoying the intertidal pools, and the coming and going of cormorants from and to their nesting grounds was something fascinated to just sit and observe. The island was so magical that deserved more time to be explored but unfortunately, the sunlight disappeared rapidly (as it usually happens at the Equator), forcing us to return to our good ship Islander, where a really happy crowd could enjoy the dying sun behind the volcano…