Isabela Island
After a quiet night, some of us were up early to enjoy the first light. The day started with a very light breeze and only a few clouds. A medium to large swell from southern direction made for beautiful breaking surf in the distance. I had breakfast, with crispy French bread, green tea and a big fresh fruit salad. This morning we would walk and afterwards swim in Urvina Bay, known to be partly uplifted four meters in 1954. You see coral heads in the arid zone, maybe even a finch perched on top.
We went for a two hour hike, first along the coast, then more inland, finally ending at a black beach were we would take a swim. The beach was littered with marine artifacts such as bones of all kinds and sizes, shells, lobster antennae, driftwood, etc. We spotted a penguin, a flightless cormorant, a great blue heron, hundreds of Sally Lightfoots, and many sea turtles. The higher part of the beaches had turtle nests, with some trails clearly recently made, so we kept to the wet part as much as possible, to not disturb any of the nests and even tracks. More inland we saw land iguanas and tortoises, usually near the Manzanillo trees. We found some tortoise droppings and could clearly pick out the poison apples, fruits of that same Manzanillo tree. Where we would get terribly ill or even die eating such a fruit, a tortoise not only eats it regularly, but even seems to prefer it in its daily diet. As do the land iguanas, of which we saw four big males in deep yellow, orange and brown colors. After the hike we didn’t hesitate for a second to wash off the heat in the cool ocean, while we could take our time to return since we had several Zodiacs scheduled to bring us back on board.
In the afternoon, after a Peruvian style lunch and a presentation about Charles Darwin, we disembarked for a Zodiac ride along the shore of Punta Moreno, where lagoons surrounded by various mangrove types interchange with the jagged dramatic cliffs of a relatively recent lava flow. This area gets pounded by the southern swells. After a fairly rough start, we entered the lagoons where we encountered many green sea turtles, quietly floating now and then sticking out their heads. We could hear them breathing once they surfaced, being all quiet because of the magic of the place. I knew that at the same time the shore party was watching flamingos. I pointed out a small group of golden rays, gently floating just under the surface. We spent a good hour in this tranquil refuge for wildlife, and then returned to the ship, each of us captivated by the moments just shared.
Back on board, after a refreshing shower, we met in the lounge, enjoying an entertaining quiz presented by Veronica, who checked on the knowledge gathered so far, giving the children a head start. We were all surprised and amused by the answers the children gave, most of them being quiet accurate.
It was a good feeling, being together, knowing each other again a bit more, with every day so many new impressions, wildlife encounters and still more to come.
