Isabela and Fernandina Islands
When leading trips on board Polaris in the Galápagos, I go to bed every Monday night with a feeling of excitement in the pit of my stomach: that kind of “Christmas Eve” feeling I remember as a child. The reason? On Tuesdays we awake in my very favourite part of the Galápagos: the westernmost realm of Isabela and Fernandina islands.
In this area, located right on top of the Galápagos hotspot, we spend the day surrounded by the spectacular shield volcanoes of the geologically youngest islands – a real avenue of volcanoes. It is here that we catch a glimpse into the past of the archipelago, and how it all started…
Not only is the geology fascinating, but the wildlife even more so. The cool waters of the Cromwell counter-current hit the Galápagos platform just to the west of Fernandina and upwell, filling the area with nutrients that support an amazingly rich marine and coastal ecosystem. It is in this area that one can find the largest populations of Galápagos penguins, the only populations of flightless cormorants, the largest and most numerous marine iguanas and the most numerous green sea turtles. Not only may we expect these residents, but the best thing about these waters are the surprises they often bring: it is the most probable place to see all kinds of fascinating oceanic animals such as cetaceans, sharks, rays and other strange creatures of the sea. Because of this, we spent a relaxing first half of the morning on board, visiting the bridge and on watch from the outer decks – one of the only opportunities to really enjoy being at sea. It turned out to be this area at its best, and not only did we cruise round the remains of what was once a huge volcano, now home to millions of sea birds, but also along the coast of the cross-section of the massive caldera of Ecuador Volcano – faulting in the area causing the rest of both these volcanoes to slump off into the depths.
During our cruising we had many amazing sightings: playful bottle-nosed dolphins, massive manta rays, several odd-looking oceanic sun fish and more. Most exciting of all however was a small pod of short-finned pilot whales spotted by our helmsman – a relatively small but very accessible member of the Odontoceti, or toothed whales, and a relatively unusual sighting in these waters. Our ever-accommodating bridge officers brought the ship practically to a stand still, and we were able to hang out with these magnificent cetaceans for about an hour, observing their sleek black bodies and melon-shaped heads as they replenished their oxygen supplies while “logging” (bobbing about at the surface). We counted about 15 or 20 individuals, among which were at least 2 large bulls and several calves.
Another exciting day in western Galápagos, which more than live up to its expectations…
When leading trips on board Polaris in the Galápagos, I go to bed every Monday night with a feeling of excitement in the pit of my stomach: that kind of “Christmas Eve” feeling I remember as a child. The reason? On Tuesdays we awake in my very favourite part of the Galápagos: the westernmost realm of Isabela and Fernandina islands.
In this area, located right on top of the Galápagos hotspot, we spend the day surrounded by the spectacular shield volcanoes of the geologically youngest islands – a real avenue of volcanoes. It is here that we catch a glimpse into the past of the archipelago, and how it all started…
Not only is the geology fascinating, but the wildlife even more so. The cool waters of the Cromwell counter-current hit the Galápagos platform just to the west of Fernandina and upwell, filling the area with nutrients that support an amazingly rich marine and coastal ecosystem. It is in this area that one can find the largest populations of Galápagos penguins, the only populations of flightless cormorants, the largest and most numerous marine iguanas and the most numerous green sea turtles. Not only may we expect these residents, but the best thing about these waters are the surprises they often bring: it is the most probable place to see all kinds of fascinating oceanic animals such as cetaceans, sharks, rays and other strange creatures of the sea. Because of this, we spent a relaxing first half of the morning on board, visiting the bridge and on watch from the outer decks – one of the only opportunities to really enjoy being at sea. It turned out to be this area at its best, and not only did we cruise round the remains of what was once a huge volcano, now home to millions of sea birds, but also along the coast of the cross-section of the massive caldera of Ecuador Volcano – faulting in the area causing the rest of both these volcanoes to slump off into the depths.
During our cruising we had many amazing sightings: playful bottle-nosed dolphins, massive manta rays, several odd-looking oceanic sun fish and more. Most exciting of all however was a small pod of short-finned pilot whales spotted by our helmsman – a relatively small but very accessible member of the Odontoceti, or toothed whales, and a relatively unusual sighting in these waters. Our ever-accommodating bridge officers brought the ship practically to a stand still, and we were able to hang out with these magnificent cetaceans for about an hour, observing their sleek black bodies and melon-shaped heads as they replenished their oxygen supplies while “logging” (bobbing about at the surface). We counted about 15 or 20 individuals, among which were at least 2 large bulls and several calves.
Another exciting day in western Galápagos, which more than live up to its expectations…
