Isabela and Fernandina Islands
The Mystery of the Islands:
Many millions of years ago, when the sea began to seethe and simmer, the crust was pierced and matter continuously gushed forth. Lava and scoria piled up on the ocean bed until, one day, volcanoes raised their peaks above the brawling sea and the Galápagos Islands were born.
While cold waters from the South Pacific, Antarctica and the Cromwell Counter-current create an unusually dry climate for the tropics, currents from Panama counteract the effect with a hot, rainy and sunny season.
During the months of May and June cold currents from the south are stronger, thus producing mysterious mists that fog up the islands. At night these vapors condense in the lowlands in thin layers along the coast, giving a mystical and ethereal appearance to the landmasses. As the day continues, the sun rises and the temperatures increase, causing the condensation to expand and cover the whole islands before seemingly vanishing in thin air.
Earlier visitors never understood the different currents, which made their navigation very difficult; add to this the fact that the islands seemingly appeared and disappeared due to this phenomenon and one can understand the first name given to the group: The Enchanted Islands.
All morning we witnessed these phenomena and enjoyed the surprising richness offered by the productive cold waters: mists enveloping Roca Redonda, an absolute haven for seabirds, as well as incredible sightings during a later Zodiac cruise that included oceanic sun fish (Mola mola), a blue marlin, penguins, sea turtles and countless more surprises.
The Mystery of the Islands:
Many millions of years ago, when the sea began to seethe and simmer, the crust was pierced and matter continuously gushed forth. Lava and scoria piled up on the ocean bed until, one day, volcanoes raised their peaks above the brawling sea and the Galápagos Islands were born.
While cold waters from the South Pacific, Antarctica and the Cromwell Counter-current create an unusually dry climate for the tropics, currents from Panama counteract the effect with a hot, rainy and sunny season.
During the months of May and June cold currents from the south are stronger, thus producing mysterious mists that fog up the islands. At night these vapors condense in the lowlands in thin layers along the coast, giving a mystical and ethereal appearance to the landmasses. As the day continues, the sun rises and the temperatures increase, causing the condensation to expand and cover the whole islands before seemingly vanishing in thin air.
Earlier visitors never understood the different currents, which made their navigation very difficult; add to this the fact that the islands seemingly appeared and disappeared due to this phenomenon and one can understand the first name given to the group: The Enchanted Islands.
All morning we witnessed these phenomena and enjoyed the surprising richness offered by the productive cold waters: mists enveloping Roca Redonda, an absolute haven for seabirds, as well as incredible sightings during a later Zodiac cruise that included oceanic sun fish (Mola mola), a blue marlin, penguins, sea turtles and countless more surprises.
