May 7 - Genovesa Island

On day 3 of our cruise we traveled 7 hours overnight to Genovesa, one of the most isolated of the Galápagos Islands. It’s a dormant volcano which is shrinking into the sea as the tectonic plates shift and one of its sides collapsed from the constant pounding of the surf. It’s crater is filled with sea water and the remaining land has become home to Red Footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies, Frigates, Darwin Finches, & short-eared owls while the crater is home to numerous sharks & sea lions. Darwin Bay, on the other side of the island, is a sanctuary for Swallow Tailed Gulls, Hammerhead sharks & Gold Crested Night Herons. Here we swam, kayaked, and hiked to explore land & sea.

Nazca Booby

Celebrating the finish of our kayak trip around Genovesa. Why does a kayak want to go in circles?

Mother and Son on top of Genovesa. They looked for ages to spot the elusive short-eared owl.

A Magnificent Male Frigatebird courting the ladies! The male fills the red air sac under its throat in 20 minutes until the female of the species “chooses him” among other suitors, then it takes 45 minutes to let the air out so he can fly away...hopefully with HER!