Thursday, March 24, 2022, we left Tagus Cove and sailed north to Vicente Roca (Rock) Point at the northwestern tip of Isabela Island, eroding cliffs at the base of the now defunct Ecuador Volcano. We were in the Bolivar Channel, the channel between Fernandina and Isabela. The deep east-flowing Cromwell Current hits the west side of Isabela and there is an upwelling of cold, nutrient rich water which makes for an amazing variety and amount of marine sea life. It has been referred to as "
one of the richest marine havens on earth" and is considered one of the best snorkeling and scuba diving spots in the Galapagos Islands.
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| Highlighted by the red line. |
That said, it was one of my least favorite spots on our trip. The water was very murky and visibility was poor (the water was uncharacteristically warm, we were snorkeling without wetsuits). It was choppy and there was lots of sea foam in the water. Whether or not related to the sea foam, I got a bad taste in my mouth from the water and it irritated by throat. I ultimately asked to get back in the boat because I was not enjoying myself. After snorkeling, we got in the pangas and explored a bit of the coast. We saw some very large rays and a large sunfish.
Some photos:
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| Blue-footed booby. |
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| Brown noddy |
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| Flightless coromorant |
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| Galapagos brown pelican |
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| Galapagos penguin |
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| Marine iguana |
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| Nazca booby |
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| Swallow-tailed gull |
So many of the phots are dominated by bird poop. No one ever tells you that you are going to have to take that into account as you try to get the perfect photo.
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