Genovesa Island
Overnight we crossed the equator for the fourth time this week, and entered the northern realm of the archipelago, know for the influences of warmer currents from the north, and thus slightly more tropical conditions. Genovesa is a low, flat island, its shape underlying the fact that it is one of the older islands making up the Galapagos, about 4 million years of age. For those of us out on deck early, we could observe how our captain sailed into a massive, circular bay that was once the caldera of this long-extinct volcano. The outer wall of the caldera collapsed into the ocean, leaving a passage into the newly-formed bay just deep enough for our vessel to pass through. A couple of solar-powered navigational aids on the far side of the caldera act as the range our ship lines up with to enter the bay, which rapidly becomes over a thousand feet deep, so that we have to reach its far side to find water shallow enough to anchor in.
Genovesa is separated from the central islands by deep waters, so that even in times of lowered sea levels it has never been connected to them. Terrestrial reptiles and mammals never spread to this area, making it the sole domain of birds and a tiny variety of marine iguana. The abundance of birds here, in particular the more oceanic seabirds such as red-footed boobies, great frigates and swallow-tailed gulls, have earned the island the nickname of “Hitchcock Island”. Anyone having seen the film could almost feel uncomfortable at the sheer number of graceful forms circling overhead…
During the day we wandered, awe-stricken, through immense colonies of beautiful red-footed and Nazca boobies caring for their young, and watched as the great frigate bird males started to inflate their impressive gular pouches to attract the females flying overhead. The swallow-tailed gulls enchanted us with their lovely colors and the beginning of their nest building, gazing entranced at their red feet as we walked past. We also immersed ourselves in the warm tropical waters, donning masks to gaze at the schools of Moorish idols, angelfish and enormous, multi-colored parrotfish as they flitted amongst the tumbled basaltic rocks.
That evening we celebrated another unforgettable day by enjoying from the great vantage point of our sun deck, favorite drinks in hand, as the deep red globe of our equatorial sun disappeared rapidly behind the caldera wall, setting fire to the evening sky. As we stood there, we were entertained by aerial displays of piracy as gangs of frigate birds lay in wait for the red-footed boobies as these returned from a long day at sea, until the red sky dimmed down enough for the first stars to appear. It promised to be a great night for our teak deck barbecue dinner, and ensuing star-gazing session.
Overnight we crossed the equator for the fourth time this week, and entered the northern realm of the archipelago, know for the influences of warmer currents from the north, and thus slightly more tropical conditions. Genovesa is a low, flat island, its shape underlying the fact that it is one of the older islands making up the Galapagos, about 4 million years of age. For those of us out on deck early, we could observe how our captain sailed into a massive, circular bay that was once the caldera of this long-extinct volcano. The outer wall of the caldera collapsed into the ocean, leaving a passage into the newly-formed bay just deep enough for our vessel to pass through. A couple of solar-powered navigational aids on the far side of the caldera act as the range our ship lines up with to enter the bay, which rapidly becomes over a thousand feet deep, so that we have to reach its far side to find water shallow enough to anchor in.
Genovesa is separated from the central islands by deep waters, so that even in times of lowered sea levels it has never been connected to them. Terrestrial reptiles and mammals never spread to this area, making it the sole domain of birds and a tiny variety of marine iguana. The abundance of birds here, in particular the more oceanic seabirds such as red-footed boobies, great frigates and swallow-tailed gulls, have earned the island the nickname of “Hitchcock Island”. Anyone having seen the film could almost feel uncomfortable at the sheer number of graceful forms circling overhead…
During the day we wandered, awe-stricken, through immense colonies of beautiful red-footed and Nazca boobies caring for their young, and watched as the great frigate bird males started to inflate their impressive gular pouches to attract the females flying overhead. The swallow-tailed gulls enchanted us with their lovely colors and the beginning of their nest building, gazing entranced at their red feet as we walked past. We also immersed ourselves in the warm tropical waters, donning masks to gaze at the schools of Moorish idols, angelfish and enormous, multi-colored parrotfish as they flitted amongst the tumbled basaltic rocks.
That evening we celebrated another unforgettable day by enjoying from the great vantage point of our sun deck, favorite drinks in hand, as the deep red globe of our equatorial sun disappeared rapidly behind the caldera wall, setting fire to the evening sky. As we stood there, we were entertained by aerial displays of piracy as gangs of frigate birds lay in wait for the red-footed boobies as these returned from a long day at sea, until the red sky dimmed down enough for the first stars to appear. It promised to be a great night for our teak deck barbecue dinner, and ensuing star-gazing session.
