Isabela Island
Today we explored Isabela Island, hiking over land that was underwater only 57 years ago, until tectonic uplift brought the corals, barnacles, and flopping sea creatures well above sea level in one violent shove! We imagined what it would have been like to be the Disney film crew who happened to be in the archipelago then, filming for a nature documentary, and to come upon this amazing event soon after it had happened. Today we can still see the evidence of this geologic history in the corals and other formations, well inshore on land today. We came across four Alcedo tortoises peacefully grazing in a grassy field, as well as a half-dozen land iguanas. On this island, the reptiles are much more wary of humans, because they have had to battle introduced predators, so our photo opportunities were brief.
After the hike, we relaxed on a black sand beach. Among the guests on this expedition are 11 Bushtracks Rangers (children between the ages of 4 and 15 who are traveling with their families, learning about the amazing natural history of the Galápagos firsthand through a special program of Bushtracks Expeditions), and they learned to drive the Zodiacs. Six fearless swimmers conquered the cold waters to swim rather than ride in the boats the half-mile or so back to National Geographic Islander.
After a delicious lunch and refreshing siesta, the Bushtracks Rangers demonstrated their knowledge from the kids-only hike yesterday with Naturalist Jonathan. Amazingly, both teams knew that the flightless cormorant can dive to a depth of 70 meters, and that the male cormorant’s “diamond ring” for his sweetheart is seaweed…resulting in a tie between the teams, and prizes for both.
The afternoon’s activities included deep-water snorkeling, where a few lucky swimmers got to see a shark up close, and all were treated to views of penguins and tortoises at close range. Kayakers got to explore the coast above the water, and see a nesting colony of penguins and paddle alongside Galápagos sea lions.
Tonight was the National Geographic GeoBee, using questions from what we’ve learned here on the islands, as well as some official questions from the GeoBee held every year in the U.S. for school students. Six teams of families and friends competed fiercely for the coveted medal, and all enjoyed the challenge. After a tasty dinner, including a celebration of two milestone birthdays, we retired early as our captain navigated us back across the Equator towards an early-morning walk at Punta Espinoza tomorrow.
