SUAREZ POINT, ESPANOLA
This marked our ninth island we would walk on in the Galapagos. The ancestral home of Diego was also home to a number of animals we’d already seen. The new arrivals today were the waved albatross and Nazca booby.
But first, we have to hike there… the marine iguanas met us straight off the panga.
With an extreme close up, the lava lizard looks huge! I think he was trying to impress us by doing lots of push ups.
The color variations were pretty significant.
This gives the phrase, “hanging on to ones coattails,” a whole new meaning.
A Hood Mockingbird likely looking for food amongst the marine iguanas.
The other booby, a Nazca booby.
Suarez Point
We finally arrived at the albatross landing strip and got to see the birds themselves. I’d heard about their ungainly takeoffs and landing, but to see it was something else. It may not look like much, but the waved albatross has carefully chosen this location for a runway.
The waved albatross, is also geographically known, like many flora and fauna on the islands, as the Galapagos albatross. They are medium-sized in the ginormous albatross family and the only ones to live in the tropics. Their wingspan is still an impressive 2.2-2.5 m (7.2-8.2 ft).
I also didn’t know the side-to-side walking was so pronounced either.
This is the waved albatross’ resting position.
Waved albatross mating dance, as the island of Espanola is the primary breeding location for 99.9% of the species.
A blow hole, complete with flyby.
and rainbow.
Thar she blows (although no whale here).
Why hello, Mr. Nazca.
GARDNER BAY
Sea lion love.
A stoic marine iguana.
Idyllic.
Shipmates.
Black basalt lava with golden sand and turquoise water … a winning combination in my book.
The Sally Lightfoot crabs.
We loved watching this fella. He was sprinting between rocks while trying not to get rocked by waves.
This one was just coming back in after a swim.
He made it! Now to feast on algae.
Yum… this algae is sooo good.
Just gotta rub my face in it a little…
What??
A whale skeleton.
Anna – the artist.
x2.
After another spectacular day, we made our way back to the Majestic for one final night aboard.
KICKER ROCK
Our final stop on board was a snorkel around Kicker Rock, early on the final morning. Our hope was to see hammerheads (a longtime dream of mine), but sadly, we just missed them. Another group in the water at the same time saw them, but eluded us.
In any case, here it is:
Billy cruising underwater.
Our Australian friend checking out the world beneath.
Spotted eagle rays are in the shark family. I did manage to see a Galapagos shark, but it was a long way off and the image didn’t work out. But, that was as close as I got to hammerheads this time. Still the spotted eagle rays were cool and we got to follow them for a while. 
An east Pacific green turtle. With its long tail, this is likely a male.
After our chilly, but enjoyable final snorkel, we got back on board, cleaned up, packed up and got ready to disembark.
Before we flew out, we did visit the San Cristobal Interpretation Center which offered a nice overview of the history of the islands.
We came away from the trip with a sense of awe for all that we witnessed, sadness for the loss we all experienced, an appreciation for the preciousness of life, the incredible natural beauty and wonder of the Galapagos and finally, gratitude for a great trip. We reconnected in a way that isn’t possible elsewhere, which was especially important before our new adventure in London.
Until the next adventure.
–Jim