Capturing the Moment

  We had great encounters with six different giant Galapagos tortoises on our hike at Urbina Bay. Several of the tortoises were on the move, fighting, and stretching their necks out. This one gave me the shot I was hoping for! What a packed day for Day 3 of our Galapagos Expedition Cruise. Last night we crossed back over from Fernandina Island to Isabella Island. On the menu for Day 3 was four different activities at two different locations on the west side of Isabella. We started with a nature walk into the tortoise filled forest of Urbina Bay, followed by a snorkel from the beach there. In the afternoon we had either a kayak or drift snorkel, followed by a power hike or skiff tour at Urbina Bay. The wind kicked up a bit in the morning as we jetted into Urbina Bay on our little zodiac. We had to do a wet landing, so our guide, Dries, jumped out in the shallows to hold the front of the zodiac steady, while everyone else did the sit-and-spin over the sides and scampered up the beach...

  This was one of the spots where I was very excited to return to. After traveling around 100 miles, and across the equator, during the night, we arrived at Punta Vicente Roca on the northwestern tip of Isabela Island, here in the Galapagos archipelago. The volcanic geology of the island reminds me so much of Hawaii. Isabela Island is the youngest of the islands, along with Fernandina which we will explore this afternoon, and fresh lava flows happened as recently as three months ago here. Today the volcano was quiet, and the water a bit choppy, but not the big swells that effected my trip so much last time. The sun and shadows were perfect for this striking profile shot of a blue-footed booby. Flightless cormorants are endemic to the Galapagos Islands. I guess you don't need to worry about flying when your food is right next to your nest. It was funny to see them drying their wings just like their flying cousins on the mainland. Guide Dries took about nine of us out in the zodiac t...