Isabela and Fernandina Islands
Calm waters with gentle but large swells found us making an early appearance on the outside decks this morning. The sun had just come over the horizon when I made it out on the top deck to enjoy the 350-degree view with a cup of coffee in hand. Clear skies overhead and not a whitecap in sight made spotting marine life easy. Quickly a pod of common dolphins were sighted which were joined by others, then more, until finally we had a group in the area that must have numbered in the hundreds. A small group of particularly high-jumping individuals passed close enough for us to realize we were also in the presence of striped dolphins, though they disappeared from view almost immediately (but not before we identified them with certainty).
The Zodiac cruises along the coastline of northern Isabela, specifically Pta. Vicente Roca, proved exceptionally productive with large male marine iguanas popping up in front of the boats from feeding below us. By 10:00 a.m. they were finishing their morning brunch and swimming to shore to warm up after perhaps an hour (or more likely less) in the cold waters of the up-welling countercurrent. Healthy algae growth and these cool waters have resulted in some of the largest marine iguanas in the archipelago. Clear water visibility, flightless cormorants, penguins and plenty of marine turtles in the area convinced us that this was “IT,” the place to snorkel for the day, and in we went (after retrieving our things from the Islander). It was a fabulous hour that followed for those that decided the temperature was bearable (and it was; not nearly as cold as it has been these past few visits). Turtles were seen by all, an octopus hidden on the side of a rock, a penguin flew by, tiny horn sharks were dashing about below, sea lions played with us briefly (a huge male checked out Dan by bumping his nose on his shoulder. Thinking I was tapping him to alert him to some sight, Dan turned around unsuspectingly and found himself nose-to-nose with a large furry face with long whiskers instead).
The afternoon on the northeastern corner of Fernandina Island was a step back in time. The lava flows were geologically young, the sand a mixture of volcanic ash, bones, urchin spines and shell fragments. The sea lions slept, nursed or rolled in the sand, the flightless cormorants “gular fluttered” their throats to cool off. But most magnificent of all were the regal marine iguanas with their totally different sense of time; perhaps adjusting their body position a mite to the left or right as body temperatures reached optimal levels, or an arm thrown over the convenient back and shoulders of a neighbour provided the extra warmth in the cooling breeze of darkening dusk. An occasional snort of saline-rich liquid told us they were not frozen in time.
Calm waters with gentle but large swells found us making an early appearance on the outside decks this morning. The sun had just come over the horizon when I made it out on the top deck to enjoy the 350-degree view with a cup of coffee in hand. Clear skies overhead and not a whitecap in sight made spotting marine life easy. Quickly a pod of common dolphins were sighted which were joined by others, then more, until finally we had a group in the area that must have numbered in the hundreds. A small group of particularly high-jumping individuals passed close enough for us to realize we were also in the presence of striped dolphins, though they disappeared from view almost immediately (but not before we identified them with certainty).
The Zodiac cruises along the coastline of northern Isabela, specifically Pta. Vicente Roca, proved exceptionally productive with large male marine iguanas popping up in front of the boats from feeding below us. By 10:00 a.m. they were finishing their morning brunch and swimming to shore to warm up after perhaps an hour (or more likely less) in the cold waters of the up-welling countercurrent. Healthy algae growth and these cool waters have resulted in some of the largest marine iguanas in the archipelago. Clear water visibility, flightless cormorants, penguins and plenty of marine turtles in the area convinced us that this was “IT,” the place to snorkel for the day, and in we went (after retrieving our things from the Islander). It was a fabulous hour that followed for those that decided the temperature was bearable (and it was; not nearly as cold as it has been these past few visits). Turtles were seen by all, an octopus hidden on the side of a rock, a penguin flew by, tiny horn sharks were dashing about below, sea lions played with us briefly (a huge male checked out Dan by bumping his nose on his shoulder. Thinking I was tapping him to alert him to some sight, Dan turned around unsuspectingly and found himself nose-to-nose with a large furry face with long whiskers instead).
The afternoon on the northeastern corner of Fernandina Island was a step back in time. The lava flows were geologically young, the sand a mixture of volcanic ash, bones, urchin spines and shell fragments. The sea lions slept, nursed or rolled in the sand, the flightless cormorants “gular fluttered” their throats to cool off. But most magnificent of all were the regal marine iguanas with their totally different sense of time; perhaps adjusting their body position a mite to the left or right as body temperatures reached optimal levels, or an arm thrown over the convenient back and shoulders of a neighbour provided the extra warmth in the cooling breeze of darkening dusk. An occasional snort of saline-rich liquid told us they were not frozen in time.
