Today began very early in the morning, with the activity of kayaking and paddle-boarding at the edge of the island of Genovesa. The weather was very nice, with a fresh wind, and the water conditions were very calm, as our guests paddling along the caldera of Genovesa. We saw a lot of wildlife, including sea birds and marine mammals. There were a few fur seals that were playing around our paddles, jumping and swimming all around us. After a beautiful morning, we returned to our ship to enjoy a delicious breakfast
The next excursion in the midmorning was to Darwin Beach, where we had the great opportunities to see the famous red-footed booby, Nazca booby, as well as a lot of frigatebirds and swallow tail gulls.
Afterwards, we came back on board to prepare for deep water snorkeling. As soon as we jumped in at the diving site, a giant school of mobulas, over fifty of them, were passing right under us. Ten minutes later, a couple hammerhead came closer to the shore—it was pretty exciting to see these amazing creature and top predator in the ocean.
After lunch, we disembarked again, but this time to explore the southwest part of Genovesa. One of the highlights of the week is Prince Phillip’s steps, which is an uphill trail that leads to one of the largest populations of Nazca booby. At this time of the year many of them are nesting, so we had the opportunity to see them sitting on their nests. We also observed a population of frigatebirds, and red footed boobies all around the path. At the end of the trail, we had the opportunity to see a couple of owls in the hunting position, waiting for their prey. It was very exciting!
