This morning was our first real early morning as we got up at 5:30 so that we could take a panga ride through the mangroves at Bahia Elizabeth on Isabela. Somehow Dave and I were on different pangas but they stayed pretty close together. We started off by getting close to a very small island where there were about 6 cormorants and one little sea lion sleeping on the rocks. The sun was coming up in front of us too and we got some good shots of it as it rose.
Next we went towards the mangroves and we saw some cow-nose rays in the water which we had never seen before. They have an orange color to them and a shape like the eagle ray. If you were quick enough, you got to see a couple of penguins here and there but they were fast and didn't stay on top of the water very much. The drivers shut off the panga engines and paddled through so as not to disturb anything too much. We saw glimpses of turtles, sea lions and cormorants and overall was a nice peaceful ride.
We got back on board ship for breakfast and then the ship moved a little south and after a quick rest we were off to snorkel through some lava caves where we saw dozens of sea turtles swimming around along with some of the usual tropical fish. It is amazing that there is so much color in the fish yet the water is colder and there is hardly any coral at all in some spots. Lastly we saw a sea lion that was just done swimming hoisting himself up onto the rocks to take his nap.
Back to the ship and a bit of a rest until lunch.
Lunch today started with some fish cerviche which I enjoyed but Dave passed on due to the abundance of red onions. The main course was pork and it seemed almost as though they had roasted a whole pig. It was very tender and juicy.
A short rest and then a walk on Punta Moreno on Isabela. There wasn't much in terms of wildlife to see here. We hiked over big lava rocks and saw a couple of lagoons in which one there were some flamingos. Even though the hike was a little less than an hour it was extremely hot so when we got back to the ship Dave and I decided to skip the afternoon snorkel this time. Instead we hung on the top deck and had a couple of beers.
Once everyone was back from snorkeling the ship got underway to reach our next port which was to be Floreana. It was quite a long trip and the waves were quite large. Dinner was quite the experience in that most people were feeling a bit green and did not eat too much for dinner. Tonight everyone went to bed pretty early and strapped in for a bumpy ride.
Next we went towards the mangroves and we saw some cow-nose rays in the water which we had never seen before. They have an orange color to them and a shape like the eagle ray. If you were quick enough, you got to see a couple of penguins here and there but they were fast and didn't stay on top of the water very much. The drivers shut off the panga engines and paddled through so as not to disturb anything too much. We saw glimpses of turtles, sea lions and cormorants and overall was a nice peaceful ride.
We got back on board ship for breakfast and then the ship moved a little south and after a quick rest we were off to snorkel through some lava caves where we saw dozens of sea turtles swimming around along with some of the usual tropical fish. It is amazing that there is so much color in the fish yet the water is colder and there is hardly any coral at all in some spots. Lastly we saw a sea lion that was just done swimming hoisting himself up onto the rocks to take his nap.
Back to the ship and a bit of a rest until lunch.
Lunch today started with some fish cerviche which I enjoyed but Dave passed on due to the abundance of red onions. The main course was pork and it seemed almost as though they had roasted a whole pig. It was very tender and juicy.
A short rest and then a walk on Punta Moreno on Isabela. There wasn't much in terms of wildlife to see here. We hiked over big lava rocks and saw a couple of lagoons in which one there were some flamingos. Even though the hike was a little less than an hour it was extremely hot so when we got back to the ship Dave and I decided to skip the afternoon snorkel this time. Instead we hung on the top deck and had a couple of beers.
Once everyone was back from snorkeling the ship got underway to reach our next port which was to be Floreana. It was quite a long trip and the waves were quite large. Dinner was quite the experience in that most people were feeling a bit green and did not eat too much for dinner. Tonight everyone went to bed pretty early and strapped in for a bumpy ride.
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