Enchanted Isles

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Day 3 - Our sailing to Espanola was quite rough. It would take 8 hours to sail to Espanola. I was grateful to wear sea bands so I didn't experience any sea sickness. If I had to compare the sailing to white water rafting, I would say this would be Level III. It truly was rock and roll in the boat.

Espanola is the oldest and the southernmost island in Galapagos. This island is secluded so the wildlife on Espanola has adapted to the environment.

Our first excursion, we managed to see quite a few Sea Lions. The Male Bull Sea Lion was quite large and noisy. It was awesome to see mother Sea Lions guiding their pups and even nursing their pups. We saw one pup with it's umbilical cord, it was at most 1 week old.

The Marine Iguanas were fascinating. Most were black, but there were some that had a reddish tint (adults) and even some with a greenish tint (mating). Black Iguanas blended in with the lava rocks, you had to be careful where you stepped!

A real treat was seeing Blue Footed Boobies perform a ritual. The male Blue Footed Boobie would dance (lift one foot up at a time) and whistle to attract a female. Once he attracted a female, he would present her with a gift. We saw Masked Boobies, Galapagos Hawks, Hood Mockingbirds, and Waved Albatross. I loved all of the birds, each one were fascinating. It is a birder's paradise.

We hiked to Punta Suarez, which is located on the western tip of Espanola. There, we would see among the cliffs, a blowhole that shoots water 50-70 feet into the air.

The wildlife on Espanola was one of my favorites - a real photographer's dream!

In the afternoon, we snorkled at Garner Bay, which is located in the northeastern part of Espanola. The snorkeling was pretty good, I managed to capture a picture of a Sea Lion doing a barrel roll. The fish were pretty colorful.

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Photos

Iguanas
It's off to the races.

Male Bull Sea Lion
He was noisy. During mating season, they pose a danger to snorklers and divers.