Fernandina & Isabela
To wake up to the announcement of: “whales at the bow,” is the right way to start the day.
At the break of dawn we headed out to the bridge to see a sperm whale and a few baleen whales just a few miles from the boat. The western islands of the archipelago are always full of surprises. The cold water that comes with the upwelling of the Cromwell current throughout the year is the perfect scenario for these gentle giants.
To find penguins on the Equator (and the only flightless cormorant species) is mostly owed to the cold current on Fernandina and Isabela, our youngest islands which are home for these unique seabirds.
Our morning landing was on a small dock among mangroves. We spotted a mother sea lion with a pup born a couple of days ago. It was unexpected, but very enticing and set us up for what laid ahead of us. The usual lava cactus and the few hundreds of years of age pahoe –hoe (or ropey) lava led us to a tidal area where mating marine turtles could be seen not far from where we were standing. Anywhere you looked you could find a marine iguana swimming, a sea lion barking, a pelican feeding or even a cormorant feeding on the sardines trapped in the pools – what a rich environment!
The snorkeling in the cold water also allowed us to be face to face with several green sea turtles in just a few feet of water and enjoy the fleeting penguins passing by. Lunchtime was not going to be the exception to the full experience today; we saw common dolphins, close to thirty sperm whales and even some baleen whales – AGAIN!
Punta Vicente Roca had more in store for us; on the Zodiac ride we discovered nesting brown noddies, blue footed boobies dancing, cormorants feeding their chicks, fur sea lions swimming by, penguins pecking at the Zodiac and even dozens of turtles within four feet of the boat. And all of this just before coming onboard and crossing the equatorial line with a glass of champagne in hand.
It was definitely an exceptional and full of life day. We can always count on Isabela and Fernandina to give us the most they can offer….a unique experience.
