Galápagos Diary, Day 5

Day 5, April 16: Eruption!

Today we had to make an emergency change to our itinerary because of a volcanic eruption. No, we weren’t in any danger. We’re photographers, remember?

The latest eruption of Volcán La Cumbre, on Fernandina Island, started on March 2. Most eruptions on Fernandina last only a few days, but this one had been going on for six weeks and nobody could predict how long it might last. Tui had been trying to contact a volcanologist friend for an update. When she received a text during breakfast that the eruption was still active, with fresh lava flowing into the ocean, she immediately went to see the captain to make a plan. He estimated we could be there in four or five hours, but Tui was thinking like a photographer and wanted to be there at sunset, not in the harsh light of midday. We continued with our morning schedule and planned to arrive at the lava flow late in the afternoon.

The morning itinerary offered a choice of a fast-paced hike with beautiful scenery (but not much wildlife) or a panga ride along the rocky shoreline of Tagus Cove on Isabela Island. As much as I wanted to hike, I chose the panga for the photo opportunities. It was the right choice, and resulted in my best photos so far of Galápagos Penguins and Flightless Cormorants. I was not as successful with the Shearwaters but I expect to have another chance.

Galápagos Penguin

Galápagos Penguin

Flightless Cormorants are endemic to Galápagos and are exactly what you think they are. With few, if any, land predators and a diet of seafood (mostly eels and octopus), natural selection has favored swimming abilities over flying. As a result, the Flightless Cormorant is the heaviest of the 29 cormorant species and is the only one that can’t fly. At this point in its evolution, it would be pointless even to try flying – according to biologists, their wings are about a third of the size they would need to get off the ground.

Flightless Cormorant

They can't fly but they know how to hop

We watched as one cormorant climbed onto the rocks to groom itself, preening and oiling its feathers after a fishing expedition. Cormorants lack the super-sized oil glands that other seabirds have, so they need to take frequent breaks on shore to dry out. After several minutes of preening, it suddenly had a small fish in its mouth, which it quickly swallowed. Where the hell did that come from? Had this fish somehow gotten caught in the bird’s feathers and was just now discovered? Well, no. It turns out the fish had been stuck in its throat; other members of our group had seen the cormorant cough it up.

Flightless Cormorant with a snack

While we sat down for lunch the captain got underway toward the south side of Fernandina Island. To pass the time after lunch Tui gave a presentation on volcanic geology, an important topic here, and talked about some of the projects she has worked on in Galápagos and around the world. As always, her photos were extraordinary and inspiring. She uses wide-angle lenses more than any other wildlife photographer I know of, a reminder to the rest of us to think outside the telephoto lens.

At around 5:00, as we neared the island, we could see plumes of steam rising from the shoreline. We already knew we were seeing something special, but the real show hadn’t even started yet.

As the sky darkened and we moved closer we could see the molten lava glow brighter and brighter, pouring into the ocean and turning the white steam an ominous red. It looked like a raging forest fire, and I had to remind myself that we were watching steam and lava, not smoke and flames. The heat from the lava combined with a light breeze to create a constantly changing display. It was suddenly very clear to me why volcanoes have so often been associated with angry gods. The longer I look at these photos, the more faces I see.

We all felt incredibly lucky to witness such a spectacular event. We were also reminded why we chose a tour that was designed for photographers by a photographer. We have seen many other cruise ships over the past five days but ours was the only one at the lava flow tonight.

Day 1: Photographers meet Galápagos

Day 2: We meet some new species

Day 3: Don't forget to preheat your camera!

Day 4: More snorkeling, more boobies, and our first snakes

Day 6: Tortoises! Flamingoes!

Day 7: A trip to the Post Office