The morning is sunny and the ocean looks very calm. It is 6:30 a.m. and I come to the deck of the ship to admire the Bay of Genovesa Island. It is home to over one million seabirds and land birds. The abundant wildlife here is so diverse, from Nazca, red & blue-footed boobies and gulls to owls, fur seals, hammerhead sharks, turtles and manta rays.
Our adventure starts with a walk at the famous Prince Philip’s Steps where we are surrounded by Nazca, red-footed boobies and frigate bird chicks. At the end of the trail one of our guests was able to find the elusive short-eared owl, it is the only place in Galapagos where they are diurnal, so it is unique to see an owl feeding during the daytime. It was lucky for us to witness this show, all of us felt rewarded to have a unique view.
Back aboard we prepared for our last snorkeling outing in search of the undersea realm. Today we had close encounters with a few hammerhead sharks and rays. To see them so close brought excitement and admiration.
After this great adventure, we came back to our ship anchored inside Genovesa Caldera and enjoyed a delicious lunch, made with pride by our culinary staff.
We were then ready to start off on our next adventure, which was a wet landing on a white coralline beach inside Darwin Bay, named by a celebrity visitor, William Beebe, in honor of a great naturalist who re-directed human thought, Charles Darwin. At low tide and over a platform we walked surrounded by birds of all kinds and their chicks, watching their behaviors and colors. We were moved by so many chicks and adult parents taking care of them so that one day they will be able to fend for themselves. We were also happy to find a few marine iguanas which are smaller and darker, as this northern hemisphere island has much different ecology than other islands and like a Petri-dish, different results.
There were birds flying all over, it seems like the first paradise on earth. We sit on the sand to contemplate the wildlife, the vastness of the ocean, the sound of the waves, to feel the breeze in our faces, gaze at the blue sky and breathe the pure air. It is a unique moment; everyone looks peaceful. Nobody is ready to go back to real life, because Galapagos is a place unlike anything else, so unreal, it is just a dream.
