Our first activity of the day was swimming off the coast of Gardner Bay Islet and it was fantastic. At first the water felt colder than usual but after we got used to the temperature, we began swimming along the coastline. Several sea lions joined us, looking at us with curiosity and probably wondering why we were so slow and not doing all the moves they were showing us. After a while, we boarded the Zodiacs as our body temperatures signaled that it was enough.
For the next part of the morning, we disembarked at Gardner Beach, a beautiful white sandy beach, where female sea lions nursed pups while other sea lions rolled on the sand and mockingbirds flew among us. The skies were cloudy but this helped keep us cool. The sea lions got most of the attention. If we stopped paying attention to them, they would do something different to regain our attention.
Around midday, we returned to the ship to navigate to the next destination: Punta Suarez.
Punta Suarez is one of my favorite sites in the Galapagos because of all the wildlife activity. As soon as we landed, we saw colorful marine iguanas. Curious mockingbirds observed us and made all kinds of sounds. Then we began a long hike to meet the waved albatross, which is endemic to this island. After we reached an area close to their “airport,” we spotted several adults, each with a chick underneath. It was a beautiful sight. At the moment, the other parent was out at sea, eating enough squid to nourish itself and the chick before returning to Española to change shifts with its mate.
Along the trail, on our way back to the ship, we saw several Nazca boobies. We also had a surprise on the trail: two blue-footed boobies, one on a nest and the other right next to it. We had to pay careful attention during our walk as the trail was occupied by marine iguanas, all piled up and in contact with each other.
When we returned to the ship, the sun was setting on the water and a Nazca booby flew in the beautiful sky.
