The first day of this journey brings us to the centrally located island of North Seymour. Wildlife abounds with frigatebirds floating overhead, along with brown pelicans and blue-footed boobies plunge-diving along the coast for their daily sustenance. Venturing inland there are remnants of the violent volcanic past of the island as we walk over basaltic rocks that were once underwater. Galapagos land iguanas forage on vegetation while great frigatebirds nest in the low-lying salt brush.
Upon our return to National Geographic Endeavour II, there are numerous birds feeding in the surrounding waters as a Galapagos shark breaches the surface preying upon a school of fish, possibly jacks, close to the surface. A short navigation brings us to Rabida Island. Dark red stands out as the color of the island due to the high iron oxide content in the volcanic soil.
An opportunity to snorkel along the coast brings us into contact with Galapagos sea lions, schools of razor surgeon fish, white-tipped reef sharks, and numerous species in the rocky reef system. On a later walk inland, we encounter a breeding colony of American flamingos as the sun breaks through the clouds bathing the afternoon with warm equatorial sun.
