Bartolome and Santiago Islands
A wonderful week has finally come to an end. Our visitors will take home with them a big array of new exciting memories in their minds and unforgettable feelings in their hearts.
This trip has been particularly interesting in many ways. In addition to the great sightings we all shared, we had the honor to have onboard the Polaris a renowned scientist, Dr. Sylvia Earl. She enlightened her audiences not only with her vast knowledge, but also with her true love and passion for the ocean and its inhabitants. Dr. Earle is a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence with many years of experience. Just last night she was lecturing about sharks. These fantastic animals have unfortunately won, through myths and disbeliefs, a stereotype of man-eaters. These fabulous cartilaginous fish have seen their numbers reduced drastically in the last years all over the world. Illegal fishing activities among other environmental problems have contributed to this alarming declining. Last year it was declared “the year of the shark” in Galápagos, a great initiative to try to demystify them. “We tend to fear what we don’t know” is the phrase I always use while explaining about animals that unfortunately are not well understood. Today while walking along the beach around Bartolome Island, some of us had the thrill of being able to observe a big school of white tipped reef sharks. No less than fifty of them were spotted swimming close to shore. This sighting was like the ring of a bell, and at the same time gave us hope to keep fighting for the protection and preservation of our planet and its oceans.
A wonderful week has finally come to an end. Our visitors will take home with them a big array of new exciting memories in their minds and unforgettable feelings in their hearts.
This trip has been particularly interesting in many ways. In addition to the great sightings we all shared, we had the honor to have onboard the Polaris a renowned scientist, Dr. Sylvia Earl. She enlightened her audiences not only with her vast knowledge, but also with her true love and passion for the ocean and its inhabitants. Dr. Earle is a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence with many years of experience. Just last night she was lecturing about sharks. These fantastic animals have unfortunately won, through myths and disbeliefs, a stereotype of man-eaters. These fabulous cartilaginous fish have seen their numbers reduced drastically in the last years all over the world. Illegal fishing activities among other environmental problems have contributed to this alarming declining. Last year it was declared “the year of the shark” in Galápagos, a great initiative to try to demystify them. “We tend to fear what we don’t know” is the phrase I always use while explaining about animals that unfortunately are not well understood. Today while walking along the beach around Bartolome Island, some of us had the thrill of being able to observe a big school of white tipped reef sharks. No less than fifty of them were spotted swimming close to shore. This sighting was like the ring of a bell, and at the same time gave us hope to keep fighting for the protection and preservation of our planet and its oceans.
