ECUADOR, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: ISABELA ISLAND - TAGUS COVE PANGA RIDE AND EQUATOR CROSSING

 March 24, 2022, Afternoon and Evening

In the afternoon we took a panga trip to Vincente Roca Point, the northernmost site on Isabela Island. It is supposed to be a fantastic area for snorkeling, but the water was very murky.

I could see the great swaths of bubbles that Bob said had a soapy taste.

Close up, it didn't look like bubbles at all--more like DNA chains.

We could get pretty close to shore in the inflated rubber pangas, but the ride was sometimes a bit bouncy.

The Galapagos sea lions didn't seem to mind, however! It was like Disneyland for them!

The youngsters (or frolicking adults) had plenty of spectators watching them from the bleachers.

Hey, look! Someone spilled some paint!

Either than, or these birds are very poor housekeepers (photos by Bob):

Blue-footed booby

Galapagos brown pelican

Brown noddy

Nazca booby

W-w-w-w-ait! Is that a shark fin coming towards us?

My journal says its a ray, but I'm not sure.

It was a little to bumpy to stand up to try to get a better picture. Ouch.

The geology is just as intriguing as the wildlife. 

Seriously . . . we are going to go in that cave?

A few blue-footed boobys were guarding the entrance.

. . . along with this swallow-tailed gull.

It's just a little creepy in the cave.

Clumps of moss dripped from the ledges.

That's not moss!  It is a "mess" of marine iguanas! Ewwww!

Grateful to be back in the sunlight!

What's all the excitement about?

Awww, a cute little penguin.

A few more:

We motored a little further. What is that among the rocks?

It is a "gulp" of flightless cormorants!

I can't convey the beauty of this place. It helps that tourism is controlled and, unlike Alaska, we weren't fighting with other ships to get a good view of the cliffs. That's the Alya below, the only ship around.

Back on the Alya, Bob soaked up the scenery from our balcony:

It is his version of Shangri-La.