Genovesa Island

The Galapagos Archipelago has been in the process of forming for about four million years, by the action of a tectonic plate slowly moving across an ancient hotspot. It is still considered one of the most active oceanic volcanic areas in the world, with eruptions every few years, rivaled only by Hawaii. The islands are found over 600 miles from the nearest mainland, and are home to many strange and wonderful species of animals and plants.

They are also bathed by a complex system of oceanic currents, which have a dramatic impact on the climate of these remote islands, and give rise to two distinct seasons. The cool season stretches from June to December and is a direct result of the strong southeasterly trade winds at this time of the year. These drive cool currents from the south, notably the Humboldt Current, which bathe the archipelago in waters as cool as 55 – 65 degrees Fahrenheit. These create an inversion layer leaving the small islands and lower slopes of the larger islands dry and arid, but bring an abundance of nutrients that are essential to the sea-based web of life. However, we have now entered the hot season: from January to June the northeasterly trade winds drive warm waters down from the Central American region; water temperatures at this time reach over 80 degrees F. Sporadic rain showers transform the islands and makes underwater exploration a delight at this time.

We have had spectacular snorkeling outings all week and today’s at Genovesa, the northernmost island on our itinerary, was certainly no exception. We saw hundreds of members of the teleosts, or bony fishes, including a large variety of colorful parrotfish species and huge schools of both Moorish idols and king angelfish. The elasmobranchs, or cartilaginous fishes, also made a star appearance on this outing: some of our luckier guests saw a hammerhead or two, and watched a majestic manta ray fly by. The real highlight however was a school of up to 200 golden cow-nose rays. These most graceful of creatures glided silently by us, reminiscent of autumn leaves floating through the water column.