Bartolome & Santiago Islands
Who could have imagined that after a sunrise climb to the top of Bartolome for a magnificent overview of volcanoes and fabulous landscapes, followed by close encounters in the waters around Pinnacle Rock with all our favorites: penguins, rays, parrot fish and even newly-hatched marine turtle making its dash to the ocean, that we would be provided with a rarely seen spectacle that would touch us all.
With our thoughts on what delicacies the kitchen crew would have prepared for lunch, it was Emma’s call for a possible whale sighting that turned into the highlight of a week full of jaw dropping encounters. A hundred or more melon-headed whales were grouped off the bow in a feeding frenzy: turning, spy-hopping, looping and leaping in a roiling mass. My young son, Mason, sat mesmerized: lost in fascination watching them. Emma’s excitement at her first ever sighting of this particular whale species was tangible and we all felt part of a very special moment shared by crew and guests alike. Our cameras and binoculars paled in comparison as one of the Zodiacs was lowered and naturalist Rafael donned snorkel gear and with the underwater camera joined the pod. For over 20 minutes we watched as he swam furiously to keep pace with them recording all the action that we could not see on the surface. The emotion that bonded us all at that moment really is beyond description. That taking in of breath with the tension and excitement as man met with nature, to see ourselves in Rafael as he merged with another world that ebbs and flows all around us, at arms length for all but those on the deck of the Polaris today.
These melon-headed whales gave us a glimpse of the unexpected, the precious and the richness that our planet holds. Today, our last day in Galapagos, has taken me back to the essence of why I became involved in the protection of these enchanted islands. I feel renewed, inspired and grateful.
Who could have imagined that after a sunrise climb to the top of Bartolome for a magnificent overview of volcanoes and fabulous landscapes, followed by close encounters in the waters around Pinnacle Rock with all our favorites: penguins, rays, parrot fish and even newly-hatched marine turtle making its dash to the ocean, that we would be provided with a rarely seen spectacle that would touch us all.
With our thoughts on what delicacies the kitchen crew would have prepared for lunch, it was Emma’s call for a possible whale sighting that turned into the highlight of a week full of jaw dropping encounters. A hundred or more melon-headed whales were grouped off the bow in a feeding frenzy: turning, spy-hopping, looping and leaping in a roiling mass. My young son, Mason, sat mesmerized: lost in fascination watching them. Emma’s excitement at her first ever sighting of this particular whale species was tangible and we all felt part of a very special moment shared by crew and guests alike. Our cameras and binoculars paled in comparison as one of the Zodiacs was lowered and naturalist Rafael donned snorkel gear and with the underwater camera joined the pod. For over 20 minutes we watched as he swam furiously to keep pace with them recording all the action that we could not see on the surface. The emotion that bonded us all at that moment really is beyond description. That taking in of breath with the tension and excitement as man met with nature, to see ourselves in Rafael as he merged with another world that ebbs and flows all around us, at arms length for all but those on the deck of the Polaris today.
These melon-headed whales gave us a glimpse of the unexpected, the precious and the richness that our planet holds. Today, our last day in Galapagos, has taken me back to the essence of why I became involved in the protection of these enchanted islands. I feel renewed, inspired and grateful.
