Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
21st June 2013- up at 6am and we took a ride in the dingy around the shore line on the west side of the tangus cove. We were able to see penguins diving in and out of the water. Pelicans were also around. Back on board for breakfast and then 8am we went onto the gore of tangus cove. There was loads of graffiti on the rocks including one from a whale boat that landed in the cove in 1836. Darwin had also landed here but didn't leave any mark just recorded in his journal. We walked up to a height of 80m and looked over a small inland lake. It is brine water but is higher than the ocean just behind it, which makes for a nice lookout point and is in the shadow of darwin volcano. Back on board and headed out for snorkeling on the east side of the cove. The water is so cold and really choppy so just looked over the edge of the dingy rather than jumping in the water.
Early lunch on board as we set sail for fernandina island, it is a small island to the west of isabela island with no man made structures... Just national park. Upon landing we had to shoo sea lions out of the way. We then walked through a mangrove forest to a small beach and watches hundreds of marine iguanas laying on the rocks. There was also a heron stalking around and eventually caught a baby iguana so we watched the bird eat that. Then walked a few more meters to watch a family of cormorant birds. The baby bird was around 8 months old and watched as both the mother and father feed the baby bird. There was a small colony of sea lions also playing in the shallow water. A whale had beached itself a few years earlier and the bones had been moved to a rock on higher ground for us to look at. Was great to see the comparison between the whale and then sea lions bones that were around. After nearly 3 hours walking around and watching the animals is was back onto the boat and set sail for point Vicente roca t the base of Ecuador volcano on Isabella island. Arrived there after a couple hours sailing and we went snorkeling. There were dozens and dozens of giant sea turtles. They were just amazing so graceful and peaceful sleeping on the bottom and then slowly moving around. Swimming with them was beyond anything else :) there was also a couple of penguins in the water... They were driving and swimming around, amazing to see them under the water in such a natural state.
Back on board and we set sail. We crossed the equator line and a bell rang. Dinner on board and then just sitting around talking and early to bed as we start early tomorrow morning.
- comments