Two and a half hours later.. after what I would call the worst boat ride of my life, we arrived on Isabela Island! Our tour guide took forever to meet with us, so instead we were warmly greeted by sea lions that hung out along the shore. 
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I was particularly obsessed with these two hanging out on the couch and took way too many photos of them.
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Galapagos sea lions are so playful! We stopped to watch them doing jumps in the water!
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This was our first blue footed booby sighting! It wasn’t the best lighting, but we were so excited to see these birds for the first time!
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All photos above were taken with a Canon 5D Mark III, 35mm/1.4L and 70-200mm/2.8L lens. If you’re not sure what camera or lenses to bring, I recommend you renting and trying them out from BorrowLenses first.
Tips for the Bay on Isabela Island:
- I saw that some of the male sea lions were more aggressive and had a much different temperament as those we saw on Santa Cruz Island. They didn’t like that people were trying to take photos with them, and we even saw some charging at the tourists. But others allowed you go right up to them and didn’t mind. I would just use caution and observe their behavior before approaching. :)
- Bring motion sickness medication for your boat ride. They say “enjoy the local experience being with up to 20 passengers on their way to Isabela”, but it was a pretty horrific experience. It was 2-3 hours in poor ventilation, choppy waters, and the smell of other people’s vomit. Not an exaggeration… a third of the passengers threw up, while others were in rotation to get fresh air so that they wouldn’t. If you can afford it, and it works within your schedule, I highly recommend you fly!
Last but not least, we’re doing a group giveaway ($230 in amazon & etsy giftcards!) with Melyssa & these lovely ladies:
The Fairy Princess Diaries | Kayli Wanders | Adventures with Esther & Jacob | Club Narwhal
Near and Far Montana | 27th + Luxe | Megan Joy Jaunts | Hi and Lo
Erica Jacquline | Alix Hamilton | Ink + Adventure | The Nectar Collective
What animals have you seen doing human things? Our cats act like humans allll time time.
See us snorkeling with sea lions here! Check out other travel tuesdays posts by clicking on the banner below: 
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okay when did the blog design update happen?? i swear i was just on here a few days ago!
i love that picture of the sea lions on the couch! It’s so amazing that you could get so dang close to them!
:D It happened a month or so ago.. but I think you’re the first person who mentioned it. haha Thanks!! Yeah, it’s crazy how in the Galapagos.. the animals aren’t really afraid of you. I guess they are’t used to being threatened by predators. :)
why is there an abandoned couch out there? so random.
I don’t think it’s abandoned. It was right next to a building. Maybe it’s supposed to be for people to sit on by the beach and the sea lions have taken over. They are everywhere. Even hanging out on the boats.
the sea lions on the couch, hiarious oh my gosh!
:) i knoooow! i wish i had the courage to sit in between them. i just wasn’t sure if they were going to be territorial or not. they really do act similar to dogs… and apparently humans. ;)
These sea lions make me want to nap
Go nap! :)
is this Mrs. Lee? Hi Mrs. Lee! Como estas? =)
OMG, this is the COOLEST! I adore sea lions and loved seeing them lounging all over the place here–especially on that couch :)
riiiight? I wish I could have done a whole series on them doing different human things. I should have given them a newspaper or remote! :P
I love those sea lions on the couch pics! That is so funny!
Thank you Britt! I love when I see animals doing human things. :D
Um, wow.
I think that if I saw sea lions on a couch I’d take that as a chance to snap as many photos as I could. Stunning shots, especially of the blue footed guy –
Never thought to borrow lenses, I’ve just always tried and bought. Good idea, though.
haha yeah.. i was obsessed with them. Thank you! :)
Well, if you are lucky enough to have friends who have tons of gear that will let you borrow it to test it out.. that always helps too! ;) But i know when I used to shoot weddings, it came in helpful to rent a lens here or there if I didn’t need it allll the time. I didn’t want to ask for too many favors.
Wow…this looks like an amazing adventure to see the sea loins…though I think I could skip the getting there part. I love the pictures of them on the couch. Our cat talks back. If you yell at him for getting on the counter or tell him no he does three short meows…just like he is telling you “I’ll do what I want”. It is really funny.
Thank you! if i had a do-over I would definitely fly. I didn’t even know I got sea sick until that nightmare of an experience.
That’s super cute. I want to see a youtube video of that! :P