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.
10/4/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Genovesa Island
With coffee in hand, I stepped out onto the front balcony of the lounge to see what was going on. We had just entered Darwin’s Bay, dropped anchor, and the juvenile red-footed boobies had found the ship and were flying around us on an inspection tour. The rest of the day continued with discoveries of all kinds. An early morning inversion layer (locally known as “garúa”) had fallen and dampened the environment with much desired drops of fresh water, although the chicks of various species didn’t appear terribly pleased in having wet feathers. On our return, the same bedraggled individuals looked smooth, sleek and dry once the sun had come out. The Galapagos National Park has only two sites for visitors, both spectacular, both well worth a slow walk among the palo santo trees to see the great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, Darwin’s finches, short-eared owls, and storm petrels. Snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding along the base of the cliffs of Darwin’s Bay followed. There’s nothing quite like this island anywhere in the world.