Española Island
The dry season for Galápagos means a lot of activity, because the arrival of the Humboldt Current brings a lot of nutrients to this oceanic archipelago. As a result the green algae is very exuberant and it provides food for a lot of the fish. The Galápagos animals take advantage of this to start their breeding season. Blue-footed and Nazca boobies’ chicks, waved albatross chicks, Galápagos sea lion pups and many others were just an indication of the good conditions for breeding this time of the year.
Punta Suarez is a visitor site that provides our guests a lot of information about how important it is to work in protecting these habitats. Española is home to thousands of marine birds and land birds, and land reptiles as well, some of these species are so unique because this island is among the oldest – and time is the key for evolution.
‘Super Diego’ is a male giant tortoise that returned to Galápagos in 1977 from the San Diego Zoo. In the old days, zoos and collectors thought the only way to save a species was in captivity, but Galápagos is proving to the entire world that this is an incorrect concept. From fourteen tortoises left in the wild and the help of Diego from California, we now have a healthy population of over 2,000 giant tortoises roaming this island.
This afternoon we also learned about marine reserves, and being in one of the largest where three main oceanic currents meet was spectacular for the abundance of marine life. The Galápagos sea lions were the main attraction for our snorkelers in the water, apart of the many different species of fish found in the area. We offered glass-bottom boat trips and two rounds of kayaking as well. Also, everyone had the opportunity to walk along a white coralline beach where we saw lot of resting and nursing sea lions.
