We navigated due south from midnight on, and although we were headed into the current and the winds, the navigation was not too rough. Some of us slept like babies while others are still getting their sea legs. Today we will explore Española. Española is one of the oldest of the islands in the archipelago and has several endemic species that are found nowhere else in the world.
A group of early risers joined naturalist Christian for a pre-breakfast kayak outing and they enjoyed paddling along the north western coast of the island. Sea birds, sea turtles and sea lions were seen and it was a lovely way to begin the day! Onboard the National Geographic Islander our wellness specialist Maria led guests in stretching exercises under a baby blue sky and soon we all had a bountiful breakfast.
After breakfast I gave a snorkeling safety talk and we distributed snorkel equipment to everyone on the sky deck. This morning we offered deep water snorkeling along the cliffs of Gardner Islet and three Zodiacs of eager guests joined Enrique, Christian and I on this adventure. The water was quite cool and clear and there were zillions of fish of at least a couple dozen species. To our delight a few frisky sea lions swirled and splashed around us. Giancarlo helped the beginner snorkelers practice from the Gardner Beach in swallow waters just off shore. After snorkeling we had time for a walk among a large group of sea lions on the fine, white beach. We saw our first very large and colorful Española lava lizards and the fearless – cheeky even – mockingbirds that are found on this island only in all the world!
As we motored back in three Zodiacs from beach to ship, our barman Octavio signaled and shouted to me from the ship, “Balena!” he yelled. So off we went on a wide whale chase! Everyone was able to see the mother and calf pair of humpback whales that spouted and dove not far from our three rubber boats. Mom whale was huge, perhaps 50 feet long, and came up after long periods under water. Junior had to breathe more often and he sometimes rolled playfully on the surface and showed us his tail. What an unexpected and marvelous surprise! Finally we returned to the ship for a fabulous Ecuadorian buffet lunch; we were a bit late for the meal, but it was hearty and delicious!
Our afternoon hike at Punta Suarez was also outstanding. We followed a very rough and rocky trail along the coast and hiked through resting sea lions, Nazca booby colonies and dozens of resting marine iguanas. We reached a flat area where paired waved albatross were courting. These elegant birds were dancing, fencing and bowing, reaffirming their pair bonds or searching for a lifelong mate. We were just meters away and they totally ignored us! Amazing! As the sun set we continued on our way, stepping carefully from rock to rock, admiring the many nesting and soaring birds and just before dark we returned to the ship for an evening of information, good food, and companionship. It has been a wonderful, full and interesting day in las islas encantadas. We are certainly looking forward to the days ahead!
