Our first full day in the Galapagos started promptly at 7:00 AM with breakfast. The food continues to impress as this morning the chef made each person omelets to order (plus there was a beautiful array of fruits and sides). After breakfast we were treated to a beautiful view from our deck of Punta Vincente Roca on Isla Isabella. We witnessed the morning fog retreating as the temperature began to rise rapidly.

For our first activity we were back in zodiacs for another sea safari. We saw a large group of fur seal pups playing near the shore: jumping, diving and playing within mere feet of our zodiac. It was such a memorable experience to see and hear the seals playing (see the video in our gallery!), seemingly without a care in the world, up close and personal. While cruising around we saw several now-familiar species (the sea iguana, blue footed booby and frigate birds) along with new ones. In the morning we saw our first Galapagos penguin leap into the water and swim away and a flamingo flying at a distance. Penguins are something we hope to see more of during this trip; however, flamingos are exceptionally rare as there are only 250 on the islands so we feel very lucky to have seen one!

The second morning activity featured deep water snorkeling (starting to snorkel from a boat verses starting from the beach). This was our first “active” excursion. Within 2 meters of us we saw seals playing under the water and watched a sea turtle swim by and a sea iguana eat algae while underwater. We also saw a host of local fishes, all of whom seemed remarkably calm given that there was minimal shelter. When our snorkeling adventure concluded we were swiftly returned back to the boat for lunch.

A brief siesta followed lunch as we had a few hours before the afternoon excursion while the boat repositioned itself. For the afternoon adventure we went for a brief walk along lava fields and sea iguana nesting grounds on Isla Fernandina, a newer island estimated to be around 40,000 years old. We saw countless sea iguanas basking in the sun, several seals lounging in the sand and the Galapagos Hawk (another rare sight). There were so many iguanas that we saw many “messes” of them (a ‘mess’ is a group of iguanas piled on top of each other [like how the word flock is used for birds). Towards the end of our walk we came across nursing seals that were no more than a few months old. Many of the species which are local to the Galapagos have no natural predators so they are free to move about at will, relax, and play. As such, are not intimidated by humans. In addition to the animal life the landscape is truly striking.

Isla Fernandina is so new that there are active volcanoes spewing lava from the ground and into the sea. After dinner (which featured risotto and either a chicken or seafood main) we were treated to close up sights of the active volcano. Our captain brought us within only a few hundred yards of the active lava flow to observe this phenomenon for at least 45 minutes, so close that we could see and hear the pieces of lava falling into the water and feel the heat from the eruptions. The Galapagos Islands were largely made by lava flows – it was an amazing experience to see the beginnings of new additions to the islands.

We have another action packed day tomorrow. As our guide said, many people need a relaxing vacation after their Galapagos vacation!