San Cristobal & Kicker Rock Islands
Our procession from the youngest to the oldest islands in the archipelago during this week gives us an incredible contrast of species and geological succession. This morning we land at Punta Pitt on the northern coast of San Cristobal where ash formations have been sculptured by wind and rain. After a short Zodiac ride enjoying the coast with many pelicans, frigate birds, and the occasional wandering tattler we land on a sparkling beach that has various types of silicate crystals mixed in by the erosion of these tuff formations. We start to climb a steep washed out gully that would most likely be impassable during torrential rains. As we rise above the beach we find an incredible view of our anchorage and the turquoise blue seas that surround the National Geographic Islander. As we hike to the outer coastal cliff, we find large bushes of Galapagos Clubleaf, a favorite of red footed boobies for their nesting. Galapagos Carpetweed with its blood red coloration covers the ground as we come to the edge of the cliff to find red footed boobies coming and going to their nests. The blue Pacific Ocean is before us with Red Billed Tropic birds passing along the coast floating among the air currents. Zodiac riders have searched the coast and small islets. One small islet holds more than 10 species of birds and the sky is an organized chaos of avian wonder. Storm petrels skim on the surface of the ocean, Nazca boobies take flight to their foraging grounds, Red footed boobies tend their nests, and a heron pecks around the waterline looking for a morsel to fill its gullet and the Zodiac riders seem content with this activity all around us.
The afternoon brings us to Kicker Rock, a small satellite island of San Cristobal where we decide to take a Zodiac to explore the high cliffs and get into the deep water to snorkel. Pacific Green Sea turtles hover in the water column as we enter into the water. This tuff cone has degraded since its formation and due to the settling a large channel has opened as a large piece of the island has settled a few meters away from the main cone. We snorkel through this channel looking for various shark species and we realize that we can share this ocean with these magnificent creatures taking mutual respect with us. Upon our arrival (and after a hot shower) we move to the sky-deck as our Captain starts to circumnavigate Kicker Rock. A glass of champagne and a sunset brings us to the realization that this past journey was indeed quite real.
