Entering the western waters of Galapagos is like passing into another world, a realm of brooding volcanoes and snorting dragons, of wandering whales and resident penguins. And today we were not disappointed.
Even before making landfall, the excitement began with several orcas crisscrossing ahead of the ship, two of them ducking twice under our bows. Once ashore at Fernandina Island, the youngest volcano of them all, we were treated to hordes of marine iguanas draped in every position over the black lava, which they uncannily resemble. Since we’re at the beginning of their mating season, the huge males were pasturing and nodding their heads to one another to show off who is strongest, and occasionally engaging in sudden head-butting contest. Meanwhile, small sea lion pups played in tide-pools, while oystercatchers worked the intertidal crevices for tasty snacks. The net effect was that we never seemed to be sure which way to point our cameras, switching from one great subject to another.
During lunch the ship retraced our path north to Punta Vicente Roca where we spent the afternoon snorkeling and Zodiac cruising, regaled by views of darting penguins, sleeping turtles, acrobatic sea lions and even a tiny newborn black-tip shark, all sharing the warm blue waters of the cove beneath imposing volcanic cliffs.
To top it all off, we then sailed calmly back toward the equator (which we crossed twice already last night while we were sleeping), enjoying mysterious mist-shrouded views of Ecuador Volcano while partaking in an exquisite wine-tasting session on the open deck.
What a day!
