We've had a spectacular couple of days. I like the particular itinerary that we have here on the M/N Santa Cruz because we visit 2 of the 4 best landings in Galápagos - which is particularly good considering that one of the 4 locations, Genovesa, is now closed to boats that handle over 40 passengers. And this itinerary has excellent snorkeling.
This morning we stopped at Punta Espinosa on Fernandina - the youngest major island in the Galápagos. The wildlife was unusually wild today... We saw a tidepool completely dry out with minnows in it... the fish rapidly became food for Sally Lightfoot Crabs and Lava Lizards. We saw an iguana be captured and eaten by a Galápagos Hawk. We saw lots of competition and sexual behavior in the marine Iguanas. Finally we saw flightless cormorants capturing prey in the tidepools.
The afternoon was fantastic snorkeling along the 'nose' of Isabella. We saw penguins, sea lions, marine turtles, rays, and a myriad of fish and invertebrate species. One student snorkeled for the first time here... which is fun because the location has a 300 ft tall volcanic wall towering over up to 60 ft deep water to the east with the rest of the open Pacific Ocean to the west. Dramatic scene, to say the least.
Student journals are looking good. This is important to us, as we hope that the students document their experiences here in detail.
Today is also an important day because we begin the malaria prophylaxis for our upcoming visit to the rainforest. One malarone pill each day until our prescriptions run out...
- Eric Fortune
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