Española Island
Our perfect luck and phenomenal weather continues! The day dawned cloudy and gray and for the 5 of us who leapt from the bow into the cool water early this morning, that was a guaranteed all body wake-up. By snorkeling and beach time the sun was out. The snorkelers wiggled into their wet suits, boarded the Zodiacs and headed for Tortuga Islet. I promised fish, and maybe a shark or turtle and we found a humpback whale! WOW!! The water was as clear and the visibility as good as it gets – about 75 feet.
Those who disembarked on the lovely fine white sand of Gardner Beach shared the beach with sea lions sprawled and resting or surfing along the shore, a hawk feeding on a fetus and a gang of aggressive Española-endemic mockingbirds in a frantic “flick-fight” territorial battle.
Returning to the ship we spied the humpback and calf again, now heading west out of Gardner Bay. Three pangas took out after them and WOW again!! For an hour and a half we followed; we clapped and hollered in delight as we motored along behind the pair for SIX miles! The calf (who is about a month old) breached and splashed and the female showed her huge white, barnacle edged tail when she dove. I finally had to call Captain Juan to bring the Islander around to pick us up as we reached Punta Suarez, the afternoon’s visitor site, via panga.
We had a late lunch and man were we hungry – we eagerly devoured the elegant buffet that was set out for us. Ice cream sundaes “al gusto” (made as we wanted them) were a great finale to another delicious meal.
We disembarked at Punta Suarez on a simple cement dock and followed a boulder strewn trail along the cliffs and then inland. There was so much to see: sea lions (of course), blue-footed boobies with tiny newly hatched chicks and comical juvenile birds practicing their coordination tossing twigs in the air, stylish white and black Nazca boobies, the powerful blow hole and the impressive (and comical) courtship dance of the endemic waved albatross.
This has been a marvelous week and even I can’t really choose a highlight among so very many fabulous experiences!!
Our perfect luck and phenomenal weather continues! The day dawned cloudy and gray and for the 5 of us who leapt from the bow into the cool water early this morning, that was a guaranteed all body wake-up. By snorkeling and beach time the sun was out. The snorkelers wiggled into their wet suits, boarded the Zodiacs and headed for Tortuga Islet. I promised fish, and maybe a shark or turtle and we found a humpback whale! WOW!! The water was as clear and the visibility as good as it gets – about 75 feet.
Those who disembarked on the lovely fine white sand of Gardner Beach shared the beach with sea lions sprawled and resting or surfing along the shore, a hawk feeding on a fetus and a gang of aggressive Española-endemic mockingbirds in a frantic “flick-fight” territorial battle.
Returning to the ship we spied the humpback and calf again, now heading west out of Gardner Bay. Three pangas took out after them and WOW again!! For an hour and a half we followed; we clapped and hollered in delight as we motored along behind the pair for SIX miles! The calf (who is about a month old) breached and splashed and the female showed her huge white, barnacle edged tail when she dove. I finally had to call Captain Juan to bring the Islander around to pick us up as we reached Punta Suarez, the afternoon’s visitor site, via panga.
We had a late lunch and man were we hungry – we eagerly devoured the elegant buffet that was set out for us. Ice cream sundaes “al gusto” (made as we wanted them) were a great finale to another delicious meal.
We disembarked at Punta Suarez on a simple cement dock and followed a boulder strewn trail along the cliffs and then inland. There was so much to see: sea lions (of course), blue-footed boobies with tiny newly hatched chicks and comical juvenile birds practicing their coordination tossing twigs in the air, stylish white and black Nazca boobies, the powerful blow hole and the impressive (and comical) courtship dance of the endemic waved albatross.
This has been a marvelous week and even I can’t really choose a highlight among so very many fabulous experiences!!
