This gallery includes images from my four visits to Galapagos National Park via seven-day motor yacht cruises in the summers of 1984-86 and 1991. These visits were part of natural history workshops for teachers that I organized and led.
"The natural history of these islands is eminently curious, and well deserves attention. Most of the organic productions are aboriginal creations, found nowhere else; there is even a difference between the inhabitants of the different islands; yet all show a marked relationship with those of America, though separated from that continent by an open space of ocean, between 500 and 600 miles in width. The archipelago is a little world within itself, or rather a satellite attached to America, whence it has derived a few stray colonists, and has received the general character of its indigenous productions. Considering the small size of the islands, we feel the more astonished at the number of their aboriginal beings, and at their confined range. Hence, both in space and time, we seem to be brought somewhat near to that great fact — that mystery of mysteries — the first appearance of new beings on this earth." - Charles Darwin; The Voyage of the Beagle; journal entry, Oct 8, 1835 To get to the Galapagos, we flew from Quito to Guayaquil and then took a one hour flight to Seymour Airport on the island of Baltra. After we cleared Immigration and Customs, we loaded into a fleet of open trucks for the short ride to the docks. There, we boarded our motor yacht for the week-long cruise in the islands that covered on average ~1,000 km (563 nautical miles). We used the motor yacht Isabela in 1984-86 and the Reina Silvia(built in Florida and named with permission for H.M. Silvia, Queen of Sweden) in 1991. Both ships were very comfortable and designed for no more than 16 passengers with the required naturalist/guide and crew. Open bow areas, sundecks and covered observation areas, and dive platforms made them perfect for our group. Each carried 1-2 small open boats "pangas" that enabled us to land on shore or take wherever we anchored.
Because we always visited in July or August, we experienced usually overcast skies, cool air and water temperatures, and the fine mist known locally as "garua". We were amazed how cool it could be despite being on the Equator. The near-constant garua provided a moody, atmospheric setting for many of the settings. As I reread my journal entries, I relived some memorable moments including:
- Swimming the underwater lava caves from the inside to the outside of Isla Floreana Devil’s Crown - the remainders of the rim of an extinct mini volcanic cone. I don't know how I was able to dive 5m down then through the 10m caves to the other side on one deep breath of air. But I did. - Snorkeling most of the time without a wetsuit with sea lions, fur seals, marine iguanas, and penguins in 25m visibility / 68F water that was way colder than Miami's ocean waters in January. And loving it.
- Seeing a pod of Orcas breaching just offshore from the fur seal grottos we'd been snorkeling in just a few minutes earlier at Isla Santiago. And being glad to be out of the water.
- Eating a lunch of fresh fish in the tiny Restaurante Narwhal at 500m elevation in the highlands of Isla Santa Cruz while listening to Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms on their CD player. Cold beer at hand; view downhill to the coastline on my left, and "Antonio" a 160-year old, wild Galapagos tortoise munching vegetable scraps from the restaurant on my right side. I noted in my journal "Can't get much better than this, huh?" And every time I hear that song, I'm instantly transported back in time to that moment.
Photos are presented here in the order of the counterclockwise path that we sailed.
