I woke up hoping for an eruption of Wolf volcano, hoping it would share its glowing orange-red lava from its summit to the coast. We do know emissions are still going-on, but the activity has migrated into its deep caldera, so for today I had to rely on my imagination. Due to the beauty of the early hours, the calm seas, the majestic shape of Wolf (the highest volcano in the Galapagos) I saw more, even more than I had dreamed of. The clouds on top of the summit looked like an eruption, with the light blue sky and the sea as a mirror. The water was hosting playful dolphins, jumping tuna fish, white vented storm petrels, elusive Galapagos petrels, shearwaters, brown-noddy terns and boobies all gathered at the feast, in waters favored by the upwellings of the nutrient rich Cromwell current.
We had young pirates on board and weccelebrated the equator crossing with a bow decorated by our captain Patricio, with flags of all colors to brighten our fantastic morning. Along the coast of Punta Vicente Roca we encountered green sea turtles, penguins, fur sea lions, flightless cormorants, and we learned about the different volcanic features related to shield volcanoes, parasitic cones and lava dikes.
We learned about human history from naturalist Enrique Silva while younger explorers went to the bridge to discover all of the instruments onboard, with guidance from second officer Jonathan. During the last hours of light we all felt the privilege of landing on a pristine island, isolated from civilization, inhabited by native and endemic creatures only, nothing introduced. Fernandina welcomed us with its tidal pools and abundance of iguanas and sea lions.
Today I did not need to use my imagination because it was all real, perfect, and it was all true. It was Galapagos.
