Early in the morning our hikers got up with the rising sun, in one of the most graceful places on Floreana Island, Punta Cormorant. This place is not named because there are cormorants there, but rather in honor of a vessel that sank near the area. Right before midday we snorkeled around Champion Islet, an eroded parasite cone with a depth that reaches more than 150 feet just a few meters away from the coast. Sergeant majors, two kinds of damselfishes, king angels, razor-blade surgeons, blue-chin parrotfish, pyramid sea stars, baby sea lions, a sea turtle and a few white tipped reef sharks welcomed us in the refreshing water. The lunch was delicioso! We closed out the day visiting Post Office Bay and the barrel there to deliver some cards and pick up a few. We also had the opportunity to kayak and paddleboard around the shorelines before enjoying Sebastian’s talk about sea turtles.
5/1/2025
Read
National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
At sunrise we entered Darwin’s Bay, Genovesa, one of the most pristine islands of the Galapagos Archipelago. Genovesa is one massive seabird colony. It has been dubbed “bird island” or even “Hitchcock Island” and is home to the largest population of red-footed boobies. In the morning, we visited Prince Phillip’s Steps, named after the late Duke of Edinburgh, for many years the patron of the Charles Darwin Foundation and a keen ornithologist. Here, we walked through a forest of the peculiar palo santo or incense trees and amongst Nazca boobies, quite abundant here too. Darwin’s Bay beach trail is a real jewel. We followed the sandy trail that is bordered by mangrove trees and salt bushes, from which red-footed boobies, frigatebirds, and Nazca boobies observed us to pass their time. Spending hours in such an isolated place where creatures do not fear the sight of humans is quite touching, and it makes one realize how much we need to continue caring for this wonderful planet of ours.
