Still high on the Galápagos, I was up around 4 and ventured up to the deck early attempting to catch the sunrise, and enjoyed watching the ocean in the peace of Moreno Bay, Isabela Island. It was exceedingly difficult trying to keep up my daily journal, both in not wanting to sit quietly and in not wanting to tear my eyes away from the constantly changing landscape as we travelled. Sometimes 4 am was the only reasonable time.
The first excursion on the largest of the Galápagos Islands was a lunar landing. The landscape at Punta Moreno was harsh and jagged, with seemingly fresh lava. I was mostly surprised to see very few lichens. We played with panoramas, saw flamingos, learned that cactus insides look like a ribcage, and heard more about Isabela’s geology. On the dinghy ride, penguins huddled among piles of Marine Iguanas and sea lions dragged themselves on shore to join the party. Here were the first Flightless Cormorant sightings - only inhabiting this western side of the islands. Isabela is vastly different from Floreana or Santa Cruz. It is much younger and closer to the volcanic hotspot; its volcanoes are still active and the landscape is rugged and hostile, but the water is teaming with turtles. Today’s snorkelling adventure was in a rocky reef, buoyed by the rough, cold waves.
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| A peek inside a cactus |
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| White-tipped Reef Shark |
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| Flamingos |
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| Brachycereus cactus |
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| Golden rays |
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Marine iguana returning to shore
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| Everyone coexisting amicably |
There was a long “mandatory nap” after lunch as we travelled around the lower end of Isabela to the isthmus at Elizabeth Bay. On route, Frigatebirds followed our boat, resting on the awnings while watching for fish stirred up in our wake. I watched them for hours. The cruise was as magnificent as they are.
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| Frigatebirds following the ship. Photo: Graham Black |
As our dinghy cruised through the mangroves of Elizabeth Bay, turtles popped their heads up every few metres and rays passed in slow, shallow groups. Herons perched between the branches ready to snap up their prey. Tucked in under the foliage, Omar pointed out some “Galápagos monkeys”: three sea lions were snoozing lazily in the mangrove branches.
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| Juvenile penguin among the mangroves |
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| Galápagos monkeys, aka sea lions |
Back on board, Manuel had snacks and juice ready for us, and I was excited about Omar’s geology lecture covering the 5 million year history of these islands as they move slowly eastward and the submerging tectonic plate swallows them down. Fernandina and the seahorse-shaped Isabela are the youngest, sitting over the hotspot and still very active. One day these islands too will submerge into the ocean as new islands form in the west, with species migrating to survive.
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