DAY 22 IN ECUADOR!

 Hey guys Mac and Charley checking in again!

Today we started off the day with a transfer to the island of Isabella. The boat ride was rough waters, but we made it safely to Isabella. After checking into another adorable hotel and dropping off our luggage, we wondered around the town for a little bit. At 11 am, we got picked up in a taxi and boarded a boat for a fun day of excursions. The first stop of the boat journey was a beautiful rock formation in the middle of the ocean that was home to Blue Footed and Nazca Boobies as well as marine iguanas and even some sea lions. The guide told us the marine iguanas have to swim all the way out to the rock from the shore of Isabella to get to the rock formation, and they do this based on the tide. After the stop at the rock formation, we made it to the Cabo Rosa Tunnels. We got to see countless larval formations including caves, tunnels, and islands. This network of unique lava formation is home to sea turtles, sharks, and even penguins. We got to walk along the lava formation and saw multiple nesting spots for Blue Footed Boobies and even got to see males and females interact for mating rituals. Our guide told us all about the Blue Footed Boobies, including that the mating period last 24 days and males are the ones that make a whistle noise. After the walk, we put on our wetsuits and hopped in the water. This snorkel was the best of the trip so far. We got to swim through the labyrinth of caves and tunnels and we saw sea turtles, puffer fish, manta rays, and an octopus. The octopus was camouflaged, but  Dr. M spotted it and we even got to see the octopus change color as he swam away. After the first snorkel, we moved to a different bay and got back in the water. First, our guide led us into a little cave where we got to see 15-20 young black tip reef sharks. They were surprisingly calm and unbothered by our presence. We also got to see seahorses, a sting ray, and even more sea turtles. The sea turtles in this location were some of biggest turtles I had ever seen. The water was quite cold, so we got back on the boat and enjoyed a late lunch of chicken and rice before returning to the island. While on the boat, we even go to see a penguin swim around the boat. After a very long but exciting day, we had a delicious dinner at our hotel and called it an early night. Can’t wait for our next adventure on the new island!

Adios!