Galapagos Journal - Fernandina Island Snorkel Two

A hamburger on the back deck and a short nap and we were ready for our afternoon excursion. We originally signed up for the deep water snorkel and the zodiac ride to follow but decided that we needed a little time off. We canceled the zodiac ride.

The Xpedition changed position to a spot called Vicente Roca where the coastline of Fernadina became colorful and dramatic from the previous action of the Ecuador volcano. Ochre striped cliffs were pounded by the waves but in the slight curve of the shoreline where the arch of a volcanic cave welcomed the cold blue waters of the ocean the water seemed a little calmer and more promising for a snorkel adventure.

The water this time for our snorkel was even colder than the morning’s had been and to our dismay, was also murky and visibility was complicated even more by the angle of the late afternoon’s sun. But we did see turtles.

Every so often out of the murkiness, we would come across a turtle or you might say a turtle would come across us. I’m not sure who was the more startled. We even began seeing them in twos and threes. I wondered if they felt safer in numbers seeing the number of us in the water.

After watching the video, can you see the big difference between the sea turtle and their land counterpart the tortoise? Sea turtles have more streamlined shells and the most obvious difference is that the tortoise has feet while the sea turtle has flippers or fins to propel through the water with grace and ease.

Just about the time I felt like calling it quits, giving up the frustrating visibility and cold water, another sea turtle would appear and fascinate me with its presence and grace in the water. Eventually though we did have to head for the zodiac and the warmth of the surface where the sun would chase the cold as we skimmed the waves back to our ship.

Having passed on the offered zodiac excursion, we instead climbed up to deck 6 where the hot tub was located. Have I mentioned that the Xpedition had no elevator? Our stateroom was on deck 5 and it seemed a long way up on some days after a long hike on the islands. The hot tub warmed us thoroughly and when we were done, we settled into our stateroom for a short nap before dinner.

I should mention here as well, there were several nights of entertainment after our 7:30 dinner hour. The naturalists performed music and song one night, karaoke was another night and the day that we crossed the equator twice—once before lunch and once in the late afternoon as we rounded Fernadina Island, there was an equator crossing party complete with King Neptune. While we were sorry to miss out on those events, we were lucky to stay awake long enough to eat dinner. Fresh air and exercise truly did us in.

Galapagos Journal - Fernandina Island Snorkel

Dressed in dive skins and wetsuits, our snorkel gear gathered in our mesh bag, we boarded the zodiac for our deep water snorkel. It was a bit of a ride to the place where we were to snorkel and we bounced along at the front of the zodiac as it navigated the waves and wind coming directly at us. At least, I thought, it will be an easier ride back going with the waves as long as the wind doesn’t change direction.

 We had been warned that the water would be cold but nothing prepared me for the shock when mask and snorkel finally in place, I slid off the side of the zodiac and into the water. Our first deep water snorkel had been chilly. This one was down right cold.

It didn’t take long though to realize it was going to be oh, so worth it! The sea floor about eight to ten feet below us was carpeted in green—a perfect garden for sea turtles to munch on. Our snorkel guide shouted, “Ray! Ray!” and we all dunked our heads in the water to look in the direction he pointed.

A large blue gray sting ray glided swiftly along the rocks the edges of its body ruffling as though it were a gathered piece of trim on a skirt. It must have been about five feet across.

Lots of parrot fish chomped on the rocks munching on much of the greens that the turtles would enjoy as well. Big puffer fish flashed their large puppy dog eyes at us as they scurried past.

And of course there were the sea turtles. With the clear water and the sun shining down through the depths to highlight them, they were a spectacle to behold. Their shells gleamed in the sunlight and they exhibited amazing grace as they slowly glided through the water, stopping to sample the delicacies the sea garden had to offer.

Cold? No one noticed a whole lot until our zodiac pulled in closer to pick us up. Oh, yes, we thought, maybe we are cold but let us take one more look. This was a place we were not going to forget soon.

Galapagos Journal - Fernandina Island

Fernandina Island is the youngest and western-most of all the Galapagos Islands. It has also had the most recent volcanic eruption occurring in April of 2009. Earlier, in 1968, the caldera had sunk almost 1,000 feet but then the coast line at Espinoza Point was lifted some 9 feet just two years later.

We carefully climb off the zodiac. It may be classified a dry landing, but the tide is really low and the rocks are wet and mossy in places. Life jackets removed, cameras out, our fearless naturalist, Alexis, gets us all organized on a relatively dry spot before we look around. Suddenly he grabs his face with two hands (ala Home Alone) and yells, “Oh my gosh! There’s iguanas!” It’s his joke. We have seen so many iguanas now that every time we come upon another he makes the exclamation.

But here there really are a LOT of marine iguanas and the smell attests to the numbers. The shoreline was populated with hundreds if not thousands. They are so difficult to see with their black coloring against the black lava. With the low tide and the sun climbing, the excrement is fermenting. We pick our way carefully around iguanas which blend into the colors of the lava rock stopping to take photos of the absurd number of them gathered together here.

Occasionally we are startled by an iguana sneezing. They spend as long as 45 minutes underwater feeding on algae. The excess salt in their diet is sneezed out their noses. No snot. Just salty water. This morning the algae is exposed due to the low tide and several iguana are combing the rocks for their breakfast. There are many in the water swimming, using their tail as a crocodile or alligator does swishing it back and forth to propel themselves to the tasty algae morsels they seek.

While we saw some large iguanas, I don’t think we saw any that were a full four feet long which is the length they can reach when full grown. An amazing fact I find is that marine iguanas during a lean time with less food will not only get thinner but will shrink in length. 

Along side of a pile of bones, we stop for an excellent lecture on the skeletal structure of several marine animals including the backbone of a whale. After we’ve learned about which bone is connected to which bone and guess about where some of them came from, we move around a large area of soft sand where the iguanas lay their eggs. More iguanas? Will the island hold them all? It is said that there are about 200,000 to 300,000 in the islands and scientists have estimated that some concentrations of them could be about 4,500 per mile. 

We reach the other side of the lava where a beach area has been established with the breaking apart of the lava rock and the crushing of shells and urchins and I’m sure other things I didn’t recognize that contribute to the making of sand. Just a handful of it yields a host of different objects from the sea.

Suddenly someone shouts, “Snake!” I look quickly for the lady who has said she truly freaks out about snakes. I didn’t know there was someone worse than I am. But she is in another group not in ours. I stay a safe distance and take a couple of pictures but quit when my stomach begins to churn as one man lets the snake slither over his shoe.

To take my mind off the snake, I take more pictures of iguanas and driftwood and a couple of sea lions. 

As we make our way back toward our landing spot, we come across a Flightless Cormorant sitting on a nest.  It amazes me that she doesn’t flinch as we pass by so closely. I have learned that the Flightless Cormorant's wings are one third the size needed to fly. Still, it does quite well in the water feeding off of fish, eel, small octopus, and other small marine life. In between each venture into the sea, they have to dry their feathers and wings as they do not produce as much oil as other sea birds to to keep them afloat. They are the rarest of birds, only found in the Galapagos and their population is estimated at 1,500. 

Carefully we pick our way over the lava again and around the iguanas to get to our landing point. We don our life jackets again and ride to the Xpedition. The zodiac deposits us on the rear deck of the ship once more so we can don our wetsuits and snorkel gear for our deep water dive. We’ve been promised to swim with sea turtles.