Early in the morning, we sailed along the northern side of Isabela Island looking for unexpected wildlife on this clear day. On our lefthand side, we saw the tallest volcano in the Galapagos, Wolf Volcano, one of the youngest and most active lately. The ocean was nice and flat. In the distance we saw some fur sea lions, a nocturnal species, making their way back to the island to rest feeding on fish and squid at night.
After our breakfast, the ship crossed the Equatorial Line as we headed to Punta Vicente Roca, a source of fascination for geologists. The Ecuador Volcano has been collapsing for a long time, showing us the many black fissures, dark lines from bottom to top, the result of magma getting to the surface. On Zodiac rides, we found many birds unique to Galapagos, including flightless cormorants. Of the 29 cormorant species, this is only one that doesn’t fly. Happiest might be the Galapagos penguin, which adapted to tropical waters that are free of their predators.
We ended our day with a nature walk at Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island, the youngest island of the Galapagos.
