We woke up for a morning visit to Punta Espinoza on Fernandina, the youngest of the Galápagos Islands. Im happy to say that Vic made it through the night without rolling out of bed or puking anymore and woke up feeling good. Fernandina has the largest colony of marine iguanas in the archipelago, in addition to having a big sea lion colony, lots of sea turtles, and flightless cormorants. It’s also the most volcanically active island. marine iguanas and spent quite a bit of time taking photos. It was a dry landing on the lava field and we were welcomed by hundreds of marine iguanas and spent quite a bit of time taking photos. As we hiked we had to be careful to stay on the trail and avoid a sandy area which serves as a nesting site for the marine iguana. We proceeded to hike along the coast through the tide pools. We had to be careful to stay on the trail and avoid a sandy area which serves as a nesting site for the marine iguana. Right across from the nesting area is a great place to see sea lion pups interacting in the tide pools that protect them from predators in the open ocean. The pups (1 year and under) stay in areas where predators can't get them and 1 mother stays and looks after them while the rest fish. The next day a different female is the nanny. The babies just play all day. We saw one throwing a stick around and fetching it. Besides marine iguanas and sea lions we saw sea turtles, flightless cormorants, and thousands of crabs. I can't begin to say how amazing seeing all this is. It's frustrating because I can't find the words to describe how lucky I feel to be able to see this. While the lava flow has obliterated much of the vegetation on Fernandina, several plants can be seen, including clumps of lava cactus. They grow on lava rock with absolutely no earth.

After sweating all bodily fluids out, we went back to the boat to get ready to snorkel. We took the pangas to a place that Alberto said we would see sea turtles. If we didn't he promised to buy all of us a cerveza. Well, believe to or not, I'm happy to say we saw at least 30 of these gentle giants from all angles. I can't describe the feeling of joy I have at swimming with them and seeing them up close. Other highlights include seeing a marine iguana eating algae underwater, and we saw a penguin and marine iguanas side by side. You would never see this anywhere else. A tropical marine iguana standing beside a polar penguin is something you would never see anywhere else in the world. The penguins are not in their natural habitat here. Unf**king believable!!! This was the best snorkelling session yet.

Fernandina Island got its name in honour of King Fernando of Spain, who sponsored the voyage of Columbus. Fernandina has an area of 642 km² and a maximum altitude of 1,494 meters. Fernandina lies on the western edge of the archipelago and is the youngest and most active volcano in Galapagos, with eruptions taking place every few years. It is also one of the most pristine of the islands, with none of man's introduced species to date. The flat lava of Punta Espinosa gives a feel for this stark and barren landscape.

We set sail after snorkelling and arrived at Urbina Bay, off Isabela Island, after 3 hours. Urbina Bay is located at the base of Alcedo Volcano. We hiked the trail and saw some land iguanas and birds along the way. Then it was a cool down at the beach to get rejuvenated before dinner.

Located on the northeast portion of Fernandina, across the channel from Tagus Cove, Isabela, is a narrow point of land extending out from the base of the Fernandina Volcano.

It was another great day. You can't often say that things exceed your expectations but, so far, this trip certainly is!
 
BTW - Any underwater shots are courtesy of others in the group courtesy of
air drop. We have the go pro but no way of transferring the pictures.