Joel BergsmaUnderwater photographer · Expedition diver

Galapagos00°44'S 90°21'WJul 2012142 photos

Isabela Island

Three days & two nights on Isabela Island at the Red Mangrove Divers Lodge.

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Map. We departed Isabela Island on July 5 for a rough, nearly three hour boat ride back to Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz.Heading over to Los Tintoreras in our ferry boat from the dock at Puerto Villamil.Blue Footed BoobyBlue Footed Booby & Tropical Penguins
Blue Footed Booby & Tropical PenguinsBlue Footed Booby & Tropical PenguinsA Sea Lion and Penguin share a small rock.Tropical Penguins (endemic species to Galapagos) & Blue Footed Booby (also an endemic species to the Galapagos Islands)
Blue Footed BoobyUnderwater photograph by Joel BergsmaBrown Pelican. White lichen covers the lava rocks on which it is perched. The lichen begins the process of contributing growth and fertile soil to a formerly desolate flow of lava.Juvenile Marine Iguanas everywhere!
Islote TintorerasIslote TintorerasLava HeronLava Heron
Juvenile Marine Iguanas sign.Juvenile Marine Iguanas lined the path at this point.Underwater photograph by Joel BergsmaJuvenile Marine Iguanas everywhere!
Islote TintorerasMarine Iguanas can descend down the dark hole toward the water to feed.Sally Lightfoot CrabMarine Iguana sticks its head out of a dark hole in the lava.
The word Tintoreras means white-tip sharks. The area is named Los Tintoreras because some of these white-tip sharks sleep during the day in the waters adjoining the islets and can be seen by tourists walking along the National Park's path.Sally Lightfoot CrabLava HeronA pair of American Oystercatcher birds.
A cluster of marine iguanas on a nesting beach.Islote TintorerasMarine Iguanas on a nesting beach.Islote Tintoreras
Nesting beach for the marine iguanasMarine Iguana.Marine Iguana.Marine iguanas congregate along the shore and our path.
A cluster of marine iguanas on a nesting beach.Marine iguanas.Cruise boats moored for the night in the waters in front of our Lodge.Marybeth enters the restaurant.
Hike to Volcano Sierra Negra on Isabela Island, betting against the odds that the rain will stop and the clouds will part to allow us a view of the volcano crater and, on the other side, the ocean and its islands.Chiba behind us, we commence our hike in the mud and clouds.Ranger station and the beginning point of our hike. Sean stands in the center in a t-shirt and shorts (and no rain gear). Amazingly, he did quite well traveling so lightly on the hike.Ascending an area that tracks along the crater's rim.
Hiking along the crater's rim.Signpost indicating the path to Volcano Sierra Negra.Overview of clouds covering Volcano Sierra Negra.Overview of clouds covering Volcano Sierra Negra.
An egg tree. An attempt at humor with the egg shells placed on some of the tips of the plant's leaves. Campers have pitched a tent in the background.Layout of Camp Duro.Lunch time at Camp Duro, an eco lodge and tortoise reserve on the road back from the volcano Sierra Negra.Lunch time at Camp Duro, an eco lodge and tortoise reserve on the road back from the volcano Sierra Negra.Lunch time mid-afternoon following our return from the volcano hike. Marybeth shows off her muddy shoes and pants on the right. Our Chiba is on the left.
Children play & swim on the beach in front of the Lodge. Three cruise boats are moored in the distance.Restaurant & bar at the Red Mangrove Lodge, Isabela Island. A good sized wave would cause havoc, because this building is built only a few meters above the high tide level.Ecuadorian Naval Base adjoining our Lodge, seen at sunset.Enjoying the beach front deck at the Red Mangrove Lodge on Isabela Island.
Restaurant at the Lodge. We chose to eat our meals on the outside deck.Social time at the Lodge with Diego Escobar, our Galapagos National Park assigned guide.Isabela - Red Mangrove Divers Club Beach.Duck
Flamingos.Flamingos.Flamingos.Flamingos.
Flamingos.Flamingos.Flamingos.Visiting the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center on Isabela Island.
Giant TortoiseJuvenile Giant TortoiseJuvenile Giant TortoisesGiant Tortoise
Juvenile Giant TortoisesJuvenile Giant TortoiseGiant TortoiseTen areas on Isabela where the Giant Tortoises are found. Four of the species are unique to Isabela Island, each grouped around a different volcano. Because of the lava flows, the tortoises were unable to cross the island from one volcano to another, so the tortoises evolved into different species over time.
Los Manzanitas - poisonous little green apples that only the Giant Tortoises can safely eat are abundant in parts of the Galapagos.Giant TortoiseJuvenile Giant Tortoise

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