Isabela & Fernandina Islands
Wonderful! Great! Brilliant! All these wonderful adjectives and many more superlatives that denote admiration and joy were heard all over the ship today in the evening. These beautiful words cannot fully describe the marvelous event we just witnessed. In the maiden inaugural expedition of the National Geographic Endeavour in the Galápagos Islands we had the unusual privilege to observe a volcanic eruption.
Fernandina Island, the youngest island of the Galápagos Archipelago started erupting just a couple of weeks ago, to be precise on April 11th .Since we set foot onboard the ship last Saturday we all were waiting to come to this remote location to be part of this phenomenal event. Wow! What an unforgettable experience it was.
It was just after sunset time when we could see the first signs of volcanic activity. We perceived not only fiery reflections in the clouds in the distance but could also feel the proximity of an event of a lifetime. Little by little our hearts were pounding faster and faster. At one point we were just less than three nautical miles from a big amount of volcanic material that was exposed to the surface. Mother Nature was proving to us through this eruption how indescribable is its strength and how humble we should feel watching its power. For eternal moments we contemplated this fantastic volcanic event.
Today I deeply feel how an expedition can change peoples’ lives. For years to come all of us who were onboard now have a great story to tell.
At the moment I am writing this report it is quite late, some hours have passed by but I still have a lot of adrenaline running to my brain, driving me euphoric and with a wonderful feeling of well-being.
On days like the one we just had, it feels great just to be alive, to be able to tell everybody about such an unforgettable event. Exaltation, excitement, and passion are some of the magnificent feelings that will stay in our hearts and minds forever.
