In Puerto Ayora, our research and boat hunting paid off and we were lucky enough to spend 11 nights on this fantastic boat, 'Beluga', that had the itinerary we wanted.
There is a bit of a story behind our stay as we only boarded for four nights initially, then stayed another three because there was room and our last four nights on board was solely thanks to James, who reminded me so much of my brother Mark, both in stature and manner. I can't explain how nice it was to have someone around who reminded me of family. James is also the only guy I've met who looks younger than Euan but is in fact much older.
We had such a fantastic time and I’ll warn you now, the next few postings could well be the longest yet. The Beluga was our choice of boat partly because the reputation of the crew and operating company were excellent but mainly due to the itinerary as it took passengers right around the more isolated younger active volcanic islands of Isabela and Fernandina where very few boats travel. It is a long way out there and the entire first and eighth nights were spent motoring from the bottom of Santa Cruz right around the other side of Isabela. This map might help with orientation.
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Due to visiting the more isolated Isabela and Fernandina we had a total of six days where we only saw four other boats and were treated to some fantastic sightings of wildlife that we didn’t see on the older, more inhabited islands. I don’t know where to start??!
I’m slightly ashamed to admit that I didn’t know much about the Galapagos before we arrived. I didn’t realise that the islands are plumbed directly into the heart of the earth and are all moving eastwards at a rate of 1-2”/year. I didn’t realise that four currents feed the waters, enabling species such as shark and penguin to hunt in the same waters. It’s a pretty special sort of place to say the least.
This was our room on board. It was incredibly spacious for a boat cabin, the bathroom was huge and the shower was (surprisingly) the best we’ve had since leaving NZ. It even had a spa bath (but no taps so obviously no longer in use as a bath).
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For the first five days we had a fantastic group of 11 people from Canada, Israel, UK and Germany. I’ve not got photos of everyone but seeing as Jean-Pierre was generous enough to share his photos, some of which are featured in the below, it seems right to give credit to the man behind the camera. JP was great fun and provided us with great entertainment and commentary!
Photo: JP Parenty
Isabela, the largest of the islands in the Galapagos and shaped like a huge sea horse, has five volcanoes and we didn’t get close to them but spend a few hours walking in the lava fields. I’ve never been in lava like this before and found it fascinating to see rope lava (that’s Cerro Azul volcano in the background).
Embedded in the lava landscape were pools of brackish water that had yellow-tail mackerel and various birds living in and around them. In fact, the whole of the Galapagos is a bird watchers paradise. Euan and I are definitely not budding twitchers as, after a few days, we lost interest in the different species of finch and just wanted to go snorkelling…!
It was on Isabela that we saw the first flightless cormorant, birds that have lost their ability to fly as they’ve no need for wings – a bit like the NZ kiwi and the NZ flightless parrot, the kakapo.
Photo: JP Parenty
They had such stumpy little wings and are very ungainly birds on land but in the water they’re almost like sea lions. They also have vibrant blue eyes that are difficult to pick out at first.
This is a little out of focus but hopefully gives you an idea
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In the mangroves we found this little chap, almost starving to death. I didn’t know this but Galapagos penguins malt and don’t eat for the entire 2-3 weeks during the malt. This chaps breast bone was sticking out and he looked completely miserable. I’m happy to say that, when we came back a week later, he was gone so hopefully was feeding somewhere.
If you think about it, it is odd that there are penguins swimming with sharks but it’s the cold currents that allow them to stay and we felt the changing temperatures as we snorkelled off some of the islands. Apparently El Nino years are pure hell for the Galapagos. Hundreds of sea lions, penguins, iguanas and other species die from lack of food due to the warmer waters and our guide (or naturalist), Monica, said it is just awful to see. I asked her what people do when they come, as presumably people don’t know and come expecting healthy animals, and she said “They just cry along with the guides. Everyone is crying”. Can you imagine it?? Apparently the last El Nino year (in 1997 I think) reduced the Galapagos penguin population from 5,000 penguins to 800. The population is now back up around 1,900.
We saw so many blue footed boobies but never tired of trying to get the perfect shot (but we’re well aware this isn’t it!).
They’re such comical looking birds and aren’t scared of us at all. When they come in to land they use their huge blue feet as brakes and stick them right out in front. It looks hilarious.
It was along between Isabela and Fernandina that we saw most of the huge marine life. We had one day in our first week where we were joined by huge pods of dolphins that were only interested in the boat if we were moving at speed. The zoomed along in the bow wave and every now and then one would head out in front and show off a bit.
They’d swim on their sides, looking up at us leaning over the bow then flip onto their backs before doing it all again.
Photo: JP Parenty
Another day (on our second time around Isabela and Fernandina) we saw whales, twice in one day. El Capitan humoured us and turned the boat to head back for a closer look but the whales weren’t playing ball and gracefully gave us a sneaky look at their backs before diving and appearing 100m away in another direction.
This is Urbina Bay on Isabela where we landed on the beach and headed off walking before snorkelling.
The land iguanas were sunning themselves when we went hiking. They look so different from the marine iguanas and don’t go near the sea.
Urbina Bay is pretty special as it is where you can see corals inland about 25m. Apparently the island had a sudden uprising that launched all this sea life out of the water where it perished. Hence these massive stands of coral sitting dead and dry a long way from the beach.
Urbina Bay was, in our opinion, the best place to see sea turtles, most of whom were not fazed by having humans alongside them and carried on eating, swimming or just floated with us and peered at us.
Video: JP Parenty
The best snorkelling we experienced though was off Isabella, almost bang on the Equator. There were turtles galore, sea lions that played around us and I was lucky enough to get a snuffle of whiskers when she came to say hello. There were loads of yellow fin tuna and scores of other fish which, on hindsight, was a sign of things to come. JP was the only one with underwater housing for his camera and he took a video of the sea lions that played around us. I'm linking these in via YouTube as I'm having trouble loading them now. YouTube isn't quite the same and the quality isn't as good but at least they're viewable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tITxR66QdA0
Video: JP Parenty
We were lucky enough to see penguins hunting below as we snorkelled. They are incredibly fast and zipped through the dense shoals, picking fish off one by one. The Beluga was anchored about 200m away from where we were snorkelling and the crew were always there with RIBS (pangas in Ecuador) in case one of us got into trouble. I’d just asked if I could swim back to the boat, received a hesitant yes, headed off and was about half way to the boat when the Captain sounded the horn, and again, and again. Our guide in one of the pangas was standing with his arms out as if to say why on earth do we need to come back so early? The Captain was persistent with the horn blowing plus the other crew were arm-waving on the bow so one of the pangas sped past me to the boat to find out what was up.
What was up was that orcas had paid a visit and everyone else was piling at speed into the other panga. I could see the orcas ducking and diving around the Beluga about 100m away and I felt awfully alone, realising that they could cover 100m in absolutely no time at all and was mighty glad when the panga zoomed back from the boat to pick me out of the water. Diving with herring-eating orcas in Norway is fine and I’d do that again with no hesitation but I think the orcas down this way go for slightly larger prey?
Photo: JP Parenty
The funny thing was (well, it wasn’t really), that Euan couldn’t get his flippers off and another lady got cramp so both were stuck in the water and the orcas were out of sight. Once in the pangas, we were treated to an incredible sight of orcas and sea lions hunting together.
Photo: JP Parenty
There was a massive flat patch in the water where the orcas were creating a whirlpool underneath before moving to the surface to feast on fish just meters from the pangas.
JP had his camera there so did a video. The frigate birds came out of nowhere, creating a scene that reminded many of us of the Hitchcock movie ‘The Birds’. It was quite freaky.
There is a bit of a story behind our stay as we only boarded for four nights initially, then stayed another three because there was room and our last four nights on board was solely thanks to James, who reminded me so much of my brother Mark, both in stature and manner. I can't explain how nice it was to have someone around who reminded me of family. James is also the only guy I've met who looks younger than Euan but is in fact much older.
We had such a fantastic time and I’ll warn you now, the next few postings could well be the longest yet. The Beluga was our choice of boat partly because the reputation of the crew and operating company were excellent but mainly due to the itinerary as it took passengers right around the more isolated younger active volcanic islands of Isabela and Fernandina where very few boats travel. It is a long way out there and the entire first and eighth nights were spent motoring from the bottom of Santa Cruz right around the other side of Isabela. This map might help with orientation.
.jpg)
Due to visiting the more isolated Isabela and Fernandina we had a total of six days where we only saw four other boats and were treated to some fantastic sightings of wildlife that we didn’t see on the older, more inhabited islands. I don’t know where to start??!
I’m slightly ashamed to admit that I didn’t know much about the Galapagos before we arrived. I didn’t realise that the islands are plumbed directly into the heart of the earth and are all moving eastwards at a rate of 1-2”/year. I didn’t realise that four currents feed the waters, enabling species such as shark and penguin to hunt in the same waters. It’s a pretty special sort of place to say the least.
This was our room on board. It was incredibly spacious for a boat cabin, the bathroom was huge and the shower was (surprisingly) the best we’ve had since leaving NZ. It even had a spa bath (but no taps so obviously no longer in use as a bath).
.jpg)
For the first five days we had a fantastic group of 11 people from Canada, Israel, UK and Germany. I’ve not got photos of everyone but seeing as Jean-Pierre was generous enough to share his photos, some of which are featured in the below, it seems right to give credit to the man behind the camera. JP was great fun and provided us with great entertainment and commentary!
Photo: JP Parenty
Isabela, the largest of the islands in the Galapagos and shaped like a huge sea horse, has five volcanoes and we didn’t get close to them but spend a few hours walking in the lava fields. I’ve never been in lava like this before and found it fascinating to see rope lava (that’s Cerro Azul volcano in the background).
Embedded in the lava landscape were pools of brackish water that had yellow-tail mackerel and various birds living in and around them. In fact, the whole of the Galapagos is a bird watchers paradise. Euan and I are definitely not budding twitchers as, after a few days, we lost interest in the different species of finch and just wanted to go snorkelling…!
It was on Isabela that we saw the first flightless cormorant, birds that have lost their ability to fly as they’ve no need for wings – a bit like the NZ kiwi and the NZ flightless parrot, the kakapo.
Photo: JP Parenty
They had such stumpy little wings and are very ungainly birds on land but in the water they’re almost like sea lions. They also have vibrant blue eyes that are difficult to pick out at first.
This is a little out of focus but hopefully gives you an idea
.jpg)
In the mangroves we found this little chap, almost starving to death. I didn’t know this but Galapagos penguins malt and don’t eat for the entire 2-3 weeks during the malt. This chaps breast bone was sticking out and he looked completely miserable. I’m happy to say that, when we came back a week later, he was gone so hopefully was feeding somewhere.
If you think about it, it is odd that there are penguins swimming with sharks but it’s the cold currents that allow them to stay and we felt the changing temperatures as we snorkelled off some of the islands. Apparently El Nino years are pure hell for the Galapagos. Hundreds of sea lions, penguins, iguanas and other species die from lack of food due to the warmer waters and our guide (or naturalist), Monica, said it is just awful to see. I asked her what people do when they come, as presumably people don’t know and come expecting healthy animals, and she said “They just cry along with the guides. Everyone is crying”. Can you imagine it?? Apparently the last El Nino year (in 1997 I think) reduced the Galapagos penguin population from 5,000 penguins to 800. The population is now back up around 1,900.
We saw so many blue footed boobies but never tired of trying to get the perfect shot (but we’re well aware this isn’t it!).
They’re such comical looking birds and aren’t scared of us at all. When they come in to land they use their huge blue feet as brakes and stick them right out in front. It looks hilarious.
It was along between Isabela and Fernandina that we saw most of the huge marine life. We had one day in our first week where we were joined by huge pods of dolphins that were only interested in the boat if we were moving at speed. The zoomed along in the bow wave and every now and then one would head out in front and show off a bit.
They’d swim on their sides, looking up at us leaning over the bow then flip onto their backs before doing it all again.
Photo: JP Parenty
Another day (on our second time around Isabela and Fernandina) we saw whales, twice in one day. El Capitan humoured us and turned the boat to head back for a closer look but the whales weren’t playing ball and gracefully gave us a sneaky look at their backs before diving and appearing 100m away in another direction.
This is Urbina Bay on Isabela where we landed on the beach and headed off walking before snorkelling.
The land iguanas were sunning themselves when we went hiking. They look so different from the marine iguanas and don’t go near the sea.
Urbina Bay is pretty special as it is where you can see corals inland about 25m. Apparently the island had a sudden uprising that launched all this sea life out of the water where it perished. Hence these massive stands of coral sitting dead and dry a long way from the beach.
Urbina Bay was, in our opinion, the best place to see sea turtles, most of whom were not fazed by having humans alongside them and carried on eating, swimming or just floated with us and peered at us.
Video: JP Parenty
The best snorkelling we experienced though was off Isabella, almost bang on the Equator. There were turtles galore, sea lions that played around us and I was lucky enough to get a snuffle of whiskers when she came to say hello. There were loads of yellow fin tuna and scores of other fish which, on hindsight, was a sign of things to come. JP was the only one with underwater housing for his camera and he took a video of the sea lions that played around us. I'm linking these in via YouTube as I'm having trouble loading them now. YouTube isn't quite the same and the quality isn't as good but at least they're viewable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tITxR66QdA0
Video: JP Parenty
We were lucky enough to see penguins hunting below as we snorkelled. They are incredibly fast and zipped through the dense shoals, picking fish off one by one. The Beluga was anchored about 200m away from where we were snorkelling and the crew were always there with RIBS (pangas in Ecuador) in case one of us got into trouble. I’d just asked if I could swim back to the boat, received a hesitant yes, headed off and was about half way to the boat when the Captain sounded the horn, and again, and again. Our guide in one of the pangas was standing with his arms out as if to say why on earth do we need to come back so early? The Captain was persistent with the horn blowing plus the other crew were arm-waving on the bow so one of the pangas sped past me to the boat to find out what was up.
What was up was that orcas had paid a visit and everyone else was piling at speed into the other panga. I could see the orcas ducking and diving around the Beluga about 100m away and I felt awfully alone, realising that they could cover 100m in absolutely no time at all and was mighty glad when the panga zoomed back from the boat to pick me out of the water. Diving with herring-eating orcas in Norway is fine and I’d do that again with no hesitation but I think the orcas down this way go for slightly larger prey?
Photo: JP Parenty
The funny thing was (well, it wasn’t really), that Euan couldn’t get his flippers off and another lady got cramp so both were stuck in the water and the orcas were out of sight. Once in the pangas, we were treated to an incredible sight of orcas and sea lions hunting together.
Photo: JP Parenty
There was a massive flat patch in the water where the orcas were creating a whirlpool underneath before moving to the surface to feast on fish just meters from the pangas.
JP had his camera there so did a video. The frigate birds came out of nowhere, creating a scene that reminded many of us of the Hitchcock movie ‘The Birds’. It was quite freaky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpsNxp6aduE
Video: JP Parenty
We headed north after the orca sighting and we all hung around in the bridge with the Captain waiting for the GPS to tick over 0.00.000.
The second time we went around Isabela and Fernandina we were lucky enough to have an Australian Geologist on board which was incredibly helpful and quite insightful! Ben was going nuts over the landscape (and, having swum with penguins said he’d die a happy man) and was such a fun character to have around. He fitted the bill too, with a rabbit-fur hat, an ever-present notebook, heaps of information and enthusiasm in bucket-loads. He is such a character and we loved his company.
It was Ben who noticed the lava eddies, something we’d missed previously.
The cliffs at the top of Isabela are spectacular
and this point is known as Punta Vicente Roca, a really beautiful place.
Thanks to Ben we know that these are called dykes and it’s where lava has pushed up through cracks in the rock and I never noticed them the first time we visited
nor did I notice the lava flows that had killed off the vegetation. These volcanoes seem to be continually spewing lava, with the last eruption on Isabela occurring in the Sierra Negra volcano in 2005.
I tell you what, by day three this place was equalling Africa for me. It's absolutely magic.
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