Last night everybody on National Geographic Islander went to bed having experienced the eruption of Wolf Volcano on the north-eastern coast of Isabela Island. The intensity of the lava flow entering the ocean has greatly decreased since the first days. Now there is activity much higher up, on the almost five thousand feet tall volcano. An intense orange-red reflection on the low-lying cloud cover over the summit seem to indicate that large quantities of molten rock have accumulated somewhere close to the caldera.

As we woke up this morning we neared the anchorage at Vicente Roca Point. This geographical location can be best described as the "Chin of the Sea Horse" if you think of Isabela Island, the largest island of the Galapagos Archipelago, as of a Sea Horse.

During the morning we explored the area aboard our Zodiacs.  This is a perfect place to understand why the volcanic origin at this particular location on the planet, combined with the different ocean currents and the prevailing winds that cause them, make this a unique place on the eastern Pacific Ocean.  To experience this further we went snorkeling in a secluded cove and witnessed a combination of both cold and warm water fish as they cleaned Galapagos green sea turtles.   The turtles were completely unafraid as they surfaced for a breath of air in between our snorkelers.

During lunchtime our ship sailed south and after a well-deserved siesta we landed at Espinoza Point on Fernandina Island. It is one of the largest islands in the archipelago and is a visitor site which will surely remain as a highlight to some of our young explorers thanks to several groups of young Galapagos sea lion pups that frolicked in growing tidal ponds as the afternoon tide receded. Espinoza Point was a great experience for young and old thanks to the uncommon feeling of walking on young lava fields which are home to some of the largest concentrations of Galapagos marine iguanas. Ironically these young lava fields give one the impression of walking among prehistoric animals in a prehistoric location, a unique experience.

Life in the Galapagos National Park sure is amazing...