Albatross central

Last night we motored to Espanola Island, our southern most point in the Galapagos and which was named by Christopher Colombus on his first voyage. This morning we woke in a fairly rough bay and saw a boat up on the rocky shore. I didn’t think it should have been there! We headed to shore for a long and quite difficult walk. But it was totally worth it. The star of this island is the incredible colony of Albatross. In fact, the entire world's population of the waved albatross breeds on this island. These birds mate for life and perform an elaborate mating dance, a spectacle that can last five days and may include stumbling, honking, and beak-fencing. The island also has other unique species including the red marine iguanas (also called Xmas iguanas) due to their amazing colours. Also on the list are the Espanola mockingbirds which are the only carnivorous mockingbird species. This afternoon we went for a deep ocean snorkel and saw plenty of hammerhead sharks and some different kinds of fish. Then it was into the kayaks for a paddle and to chase some sea turtles. The rest of the passengers then went for a Long Beach walk and swim. Another amazing day!