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

Galápagos Diary, Day 4

Day 4, April 15: More snorkeling, more boobies, and our first snakes

This morning’s snorkel outing was a huge improvement over my first attempt. For the first 10 to 15 minutes I could keep my face under water for only a minute or so at a time. Then something shifted and I could stay under for longer and longer periods, breathing more or less normally through the snorkel, and even starting to feel comfortable. It’s pretty amazing – but not really surprising – how much easier it becomes when you have a turtle or a sea lion swimming along with you. I might even start to like this.

Galápagos Sea Lion

Galápagos Green Turtle

Before snorkeling, a sunrise panga ride along the coast of Isabela Island gave us close encounters with a variety of bird life as well as Sea Turtles, Sea Lions, and the always abundant Marine Iguanas.

The view from inside a cave on Isabela Island

Blue-footed Booby

Marine Iguanas

Nazca Booby

“Of the three boobies, this one is the largest.” – Monica, describing the Nazca Booby.

Considering the number of smartasses in this group, there’s been a surprising lack of booby jokes. Maybe we’re all being polite, trying not to offend people we just met. I’m certainly not going to start now.

A nice pair of boobies

On an afternoon hike on Fernandina Island we were shocked to see (and smell) dozens, if not hundreds, of dead Marine Iguanas in varying states of decay. This year’s El Niño current had a devastating effect on their food supply and many of them starved to death. But nothing is wasted in nature, and they became food for a variety of scavengers.

A victim of El Niño

Sally Lightfoot cleaning up the beach

On the same hike we found Flightless Cormorants, Sea Lions, and our first snakes, both of them Western Galápagos Racers, plus a couple of Lava Lizards chasing and eating flies that were drawn to a sleeping sea lion. A good day, for a guy who likes snakes and lizards.

Western Galápagos Racer

Lava Lizard on a Sea Lion's back

Flightless Cormorant

Galápagos Sea Lions

Day 1: Photographers meet Galápagos

Day 2: We meet some new species

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

Day 5: Eruption!

Galápagos Diary, Day 3

Day 3, April 14: Don’t forget to preheat your camera!

Today I made a classic rookie mistake, taking my camera from my air-conditioned cabin into the moist tropical heat without giving it enough time to acclimate. My punishment was losing about a half hour of shooting time because of condensation on the lens.

Boarding the panga at sunrise

I hope we can find some iguanas here!

No iguanas yet, but I'll keep looking.

At sunrise we made the first of today’s two wet landings on Santiago Island. At Puerto Egas we had a hike that started on a black sand beach, crossed fields of lava along the shore, and looped inland back to the beach. In cooler weather this would have been a pleasant hike, but in the tropical heat it was a real ass-kicker. We were rewarded for our efforts by iguanas, lava lizards, hawks, herons, shorebirds, doves, finches, sea lions, and fur seals. 

American Oystercatchers, Marine Iguana, and Sally Lightfoot Crabs

Lava Heron

Lava Lizard

One thing I’ve noticed about all tours is they tend to exaggerate the dangers and discomforts, probably because they need to keep everyone safe and don’t really know anyone’s level of experience or common sense. For this morning’s hike we were told we could go barefoot on the beach but would need solid, closed-toe hiking shoes for the lava areas, to protect our feet from sharp edges and uneven surfaces. On the lava both Tui and Monica were often barefoot, though they did wear shoes for part of the hike.

A curious Galápagos Sea Lion

In the afternoon we had a panga ride in Buccaneer Cove. Monica told us we might see elephants, rhinos, dogs, and monks here. And we did see them! The Monk, The Elephant, The Dog, and The Rhinoceros are eroded rock formations around the cove, and it’s easy to see how they got their names. From the panga we photographed land iguanas high up on the cliffs, nesting noddies, gulls, boobies, and herons.

The Monk

Our next location was Playa Espumilla, a beautiful beach with gold-toned sand. This time I was barefoot. A very cooperative Galápagos Hawk posed for us in a tree, and we found a second one eating a big fish on the beach. Ghost Crabs popped up from their holes in the sand and quickly disappeared again, while pelicans and boobies dove for fish just offshore.

Ghost Crab

Lava Lizard

Galápagos Hawk with dinner

At sunset I was the last one back to the panga because I was lingering with a sea turtle that wanted to come ashore. It was most likely waiting until after dark, when it's safer to dig a nest and lay eggs.

Galápagos Green Turtle

Day 1: Photographers meet Galápagos

Day 2: We meet some new species

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

Day 5: Eruption!

Galápagos Diary, Day 2

Day 2, April 13: On the water, under the water, and on shore

 

Brown Pelican at dawn

First thing this morning we were greeted by a Brown Pelican riding on the bow of the boat. It posed for a few photos, then flew off to look for its breakfast while we went inside for ours.

Isla Eden

Our morning outing was another panga ride, this one along the rocky shoreline of Isla Eden. Shooting from a boat is challenging at best. The boat is in constant motion, side to side, forward and backward, and up and down, as the driver maneuvers to get close without crashing on the rocks. You can’t use a tripod or monopod because it would transfer the vibration of the motor to your camera, and the longer the lens you have, the harder it is to keep your subject in the frame. The best you can do is pick a fast shutter speed, set your ISO to the highest number you’re comfortable with, shoot lots of exposures, and pray to the god or gods of your choice - Nikon, Canon, Adobe, Topaz - that one of those shots will be usable.

Blue-footed Booby, Brown Pelican, and Marine Iguanas

But there’s no other way to get these photos, and the crew does a great job of getting us close to our subjects and holding a position long enough for everyone to get their shots. This morning we had our first encounters with several species, many of which will become very familiar to us over the next several days – Marine Iguanas, Galápagos Penguins, Lava Lizards, Galápagos Sea Lions, Nazca Boobies, and Sally Lightfoot Crabs – as well as Brown Noddies, Blue-footed Boobies, and Brown Pelicans. Lots and lots of Brown Pelicans.

The Booby Dance

I really should have practiced snorkeling.

This afternoon we had our first snorkeling session. The experience and skill level of the group ranges from a few avid divers and snorkelers to those who snorkel occasionally to, well, me. I’ve snorkeled a couple times, decades ago, without any problems, so my only real concern was that my wetsuit and mask were a good fit. I was completely unprepared for what happened next.

After just a few minutes in the water, some part of my brain became convinced that I couldn’t breathe, even though the snorkel seemed to be working fine. What followed can best be described as a minor panic attack – I needed to be out of the water right now. I swam toward the nearest rocks, where I was able to stand with my head above water. Monica saw me there right away and swam over to check on me. I felt weak and anxious about going back in. For a few minutes I held onto a flotation ring with Tui and another member of the group who was also having trouble, waiting to see if my mental state would improve enough to try again. It didn’t, so I climbed into the nearest panga. Unfortunately it wasn’t the one I had arrived on so I didn’t have my hat or sunglasses while I waited for the others.

I was surprised and disappointed by the experience. I hadn’t expected any problems, and, worst of all, today turned out to be our best opportunity to see iguanas underwater and I had missed it. Talking with Tui later, she suggested I had gotten into a condition where the tight wetsuit plus the water pressure makes you think you’re struggling to inhale, which makes you try even harder while not realizing that you haven’t exhaled. You can’t inhale when your lungs are already full. I’ll keep that in mind next time.

Our first wet landing

A wet landing is pretty much what it sounds like. The panga pulls up on a beach, where you take off your shoes, roll your pant legs up, and step into the water while hoping you don’t drop your camera bag.

We made our wet landing this afternoon on a beautiful white sand beach in Bowditch Bay, on the west coast of Santa Cruz Island, and I'm happy to report that no people or cameras fell in the water. For the next couple hours we explored the beach and nearby ponds, photographing Lava Gulls (the rarest gull in the world, with a total population of fewer than a thousand birds), iguanas, ducks, crabs, pelicans, mockingbirds, and boobies.

 

Lava Gulls

Sally Lightfoot Crab

Blue-footed Booby

Sea Turtle nest

Iguana tracks

Walking back to the panga it occurred to me that I was following in the footsteps of one of the world’s best photographers. I mean, literally. She was right there, twenty steps ahead of me.

Day 1: Photographers meet Galápagos

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

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

Day 5: Eruption!