First, whales.
One morning in September, we woke up earlier than usual. We had been navigating overnight toward Bartolome Island, and our guides, Roberto and Giancarlo, had prepared us for possible whale sightings on the final leg of our voyage.
We bundled up and stood on the top deck, hot cups of coffee in hand. Roberto and Giancarlo, who had been guiding in the Galapagos for years, were just as excited as we were to catch a glimpse. I trained my eyes on the gray ocean waves, not wanting to miss a sighting. And then Giancarlo yelled, pointing into the distance, “Look at that!”
It was a whale spout, far off but unmistakable. And it was mesmerizing. I’d never seen a whale in the open ocean before—or heard the gentle sound that comes with that expulsion of air—and I wanted more! We stood on deck for what seemed like hours that morning, not talking much, just searching. Every so often, we’d hear the “pfffftt” of a spout or see the silhouette of one of these animals break the surface for a moment to breathe.
I could have stayed there all day and would have been happy if that was all we saw. But it was chilly, breakfast was being served downstairs, and there were things to do. So inside we went.
Blue-footed booby in the Galapagos © Vera Irions
Blue-Footed Boobies, Sea Lions and Sharks
For our afternoon expedition, we boarded our pangas and headed out in search of blue-footed boobies. We hadn’t seen many of the famous birds yet, and this was going to be a good chance to spot them along the shoreline.
The afternoon sun was bright but beginning to sink as we approached shore, washing the cliffs in warm orange tones. And there they were—dozens of blue-footed boobies perched as if they were sunbathing. One of our fellow passengers was particularly excited to see the colorful birds, so the crew and our guides let us spend some time here, positioning the pangas for the best camera angles.
We continued along, watching the setting sun and enjoying the peacefulness. To the right, between us and the shore, I noticed a sea lion playfully swimming alongside our panga. Sea lions were our constant companions, and I could have watched this one for hours. The stillness was suddenly broken when Roberto yelled, “There’s a shark!” All our heads whipped around to where he was pointing behind the boat.
This was my second shark sighting of the trip, but it was different from the first—a small whitetip reef shark that had swum past me during our first snorkel. This was a BIG shark. And it was swimming right next to us, just under the water’s surface.
Roberto and Giancarlo had already helped us better understand sharks and the misconceptions surrounding them. Sharks play important roles in marine ecosystems, yet many species face threats from fishing and other human activities. Still, when there’s a large shark right beside you and you see its fin crest the waves, it’s tough not to hear “duh duh…duh duh…” from Jaws on repeat in your brain.
“You’re safe, don’t worry,” Roberto said. “But I wouldn’t want to be in the water with that one.”
In the end, the shark kept to itself, and we watched it swim alongside us and then away until it disappeared from view.
Witnessing a Volcanic Eruption on Fernandina Island
In a “you can’t make this stuff up” turn of events, while we were out on the pangas that afternoon, we also noticed what looked like a huge, brilliant white cloud floating above Fernandina Island. Except it wasn’t a cloud. It was a plume from Fernandina’s volcano, which was erupting during our visit.
I couldn’t believe it. Everyone was so excited, taking what seemed like a million pictures, because how often do you get to witness an active volcanic eruption in the Galapagos? I certainly never expected to.
© Maura Quinn / WWF-US
The afternoon turned into early evening, and we were treated to one of the most beautiful sunsets I’d ever seen. As the sun set and the sky grew darker, bright red and orange began to fill our view where the white plume had been.
We had just gotten back on board after our extended panga ride, following the view of the volcano. Everyone hurried to get changed and return to the deck to continue watching. Cocktails were poured to celebrate.
It’s hard to describe how beautiful the fiery scene was against the black sky, but I’ll never forget it. Every single person on the trip—our guides and crew included—was in awe. We all took photos and posed for selfies to make sure we had memories of this remarkable night.
There was no debrief that evening—just the group of us on deck, taking in the show.
And that was a typical day in the Galapagos.
By Maura Quinn, WWF