Genovesa is a low and flat island located in the northern hemisphere, the most isolated of the main islands and home to over one million seabirds. This isolation is probably the reason that this island does not have either land reptiles or Galapagos hawks, and in their absence, the short-eared owl has developed to occupy the place of top predator. When it comes to marine life, the Genovesa highlights are diverse, from gulls, Nazca boobies and red-footed boobies to fur seals, hammerheads sharks, turtles and manta rays.
The morning was sunny with evidence of recent rainfall, and our adventure began with a walk that started at Prince Philip’s Steps, where we were surrounded by Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies and frigatebirds. All of the vegetation, such as palo santo and muyuyu trees, looked green and healthy, and along the trail we were able to spot frigatebird chicks and juveniles, eager to be fed by their parents. Along the rocky terrain we observed hundreds of lava tubes, and in the air, thousands of storm petrels fluttered along the seashore, alerting each other the presence of owls, the only camouflaged diurnal predator on the island. All of us felt rewarded as we observed several of them flying near us, including one of them which landed only a few feet from us, captivating the attention of our guests.
Back aboard, we prepared for our snorkeling outing, our last chance to explore the undersea realm. We had close encounters with playful sea lions as well as hammer-heads sharks. The sensation you feel when those big sharks approach you is indescribable, but that excitement will be part of our memories forever. After this great adventure, we came back to our ship anchored inside Genovesa caldera, to be briefed about our departure and to enjoy our last delicious lunch, the pride for our culinary staff. Some of us opted for a kayak outing.
We were then ready to start off our next adventure, which was a wet landing on a white coralline beach inside Darwin Bay, named in honor of a great naturalist who re-directed human thought, Charles Darwin. Our walk took us over a platform at high tide, where we were surrounded by birds and chicks of all kinds. As we observed their behaviors and interactions, we were moved by the parents taking care of juveniles, hoping that one day they will be able fend for themselves. We were also happy to find a few Genovesa marine iguanas, which are the smallest of the archipelago and of course the best example of adaptation, supporting millions of years of evolution. It was late when we returned to the National Geographic Endeavour, tired and exhausted but happy to share this beautiful week with incredible creatures, whose tameness captivates us and will be part of our memories forever.
