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The Ecology of Extreme Environments: Galapagos
Journal of Mariah Arnold '08
Degree: Bachelor of Liberal Arts
Major/Department: Biology
Hometown: Apopka, FL
Division: Natural Sciences
Sunday, January 22, 2006
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| Kelsey Wogan (on top) and Renee Price (in shell) play turtle. |
After a few hitches involving changes of gates and an hour delay, we finally boarded the plane for Guayaquil, Ecuador at around 8:00 p.m. The flight was long and the food unremarkable, but landing in Ecuador was wonderful. We blazed through customs and hopped on our bus to the Hilton Colon.
We arrived and what wonderful things we saw! The hotel is absolutely gorgeous. Upon arrival (around 2:00 a.m.), we were presented with freezing cold, mint-scented towels. Splendid! Kelsey, Renee and I tromped up to our room and found three gorgeous beds and a spectacular bathroom. We decided to go exploring for a while. We found a pool, health club, multiple restaurants, a discotheque and beautiful lounges. Finally we decided to hit the sack. The beds were wonderfully comfortable.
We had to wake up at around 8:30 a.m. to get down to breakfast. There was an amazing buffet with endless varieties of breads, fruits, cheeses, meats and other yummy foods. We stuffed ourselves and then jumped on the bus to get to the airport. The flight to San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands will take one hour and forty-five minutes. It is a beautiful sunny day! Kelsey, Renee and I are all rooming together, although the tour operators said that they might allow Kelsey to sleep on the deck. That would be interesting. Renee is all excited about that. There is a hot tub on board the ship supposedly. Can’t wait to try that out! I think we are exploring some rocks after we get settled on the boat. This is all very exciting.
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| The M/V Evolution anchored at Kicker Rock. |
We arrived in San Cristobal a little bit late but our bus and guides met us happily. Our guides are Boli and Whitman. They are both sweet. We took the bus to a spot on the island where we met our pangas (small dingy's). The pangas took us to the Evolution. What a grand ship she is, beautiful. After a brief introduction and some instructions, we headed for our rooms. They are all very nice. Poor Kelsey and Fabiana, however, are stuck in an emergency storeroom due to some booking problems but it will work out. The crew is trying extremely hard to sort everything out. Amanda, Renee and I have a room, D3.
After a yummy lunch we headed out to Lobos Island on the pangas. There were tons and tons of sea lions! It is pupping season so there are adorable baby sea lions everywhere. We also saw frigate birds, boobies, marine iguanas and bright jewel-red crabs. We even saw a boobie trying to pick up a banana peel from the water! The sea lions made the weirdest burping/coughing/bleating noises I’ve ever heard. They were wonderful.
After touring Lobos Islands for a while, we headed back to the boat, which then started motoring for Kicker Rock. Kicker Rock is a gigantic rock formation made up of the insides of an old volcano. There were beautiful slits in the rock that you could watch the golden sunset through. The Evolution was framed against the setting sun. We saw masked boobies, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, terns, juvenile red crabs, barnacles, sea anemones and orange sponges.
The pangas returned us to the boat and we had a fire drill. Boli and Whitman will be presenting us with a powerpoint presentation about our next adventure. We are meeting the Captain and Crew for cocktails and 7:30 is dinner. Tonight we plan to use my dad’s star chart and do a little Southern Skies stargazing!
Dinner was excellent. After dinner we saw the stars and went to hang out at the back of the boat. We were greeted by friendly sea lions that played in and out of the metal rungs hanging from the ship. There were large schools of fish and big fish were swimming through like mad, hunting the smaller ones. It was very entertaining to watch the silly sea lions play and fish.
Monday, January 23, 2006
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| This little yellow warbler peaked out from the bushes as it went looking for food. |
We woke up this morning at around 7:10 to get ready for a 7:30 breakfast. Then we took the pangas to Espagnola Island, home to many endemic species such as the Espagnola mockingbird. There were beautiful red-and-green marine iguanas that lounged on the rocks as well as playful sea lions. We hiked all over the island, looking at the iguanas, lava lizards (one jumped on my camera as I tried to take a picture!), and birds. The birds we saw included the mockingbirds, which will sit on your knees begging for water, tropic birds, frigates, pelicans, oystercatchers, blue-footed boobies, masked boobies, and even two juvenile albatross, which are supposed to be long gone at this time of the year! There were lots of little baby boobies, all fuzzy and awkward. We even saw a practically newborn chick! We hiked to see the blowhole, which was impressive and covered us with mist. Apparently, once in a while, the blowhole blows out iguanas along with seawater, but we didn’t see that happen. Poor iguanas!
We hiked back to the pangas and changed into swimsuits. For half an hour we snorkeled around the island. It was incredible. We saw green sea urchins, pencil sea urchins, damselfish, a pufferfish, green sea turtles, angelfish, cleaner fish, snails, and even some marine iguanas feeding underwater! One or two sea lions buzzed by and checked us out. One of the iguanas jumped up on the pangas to hang out for a while. They were very friendly and cute. After snorkeling we rinsed off and showered. Now we’re off for a much-needed siesta!
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| Renee Price, Kelsey Wogan and Mariah Arnold come nose-to-nose with sea lion pups. |
After our siesta, we woke up quick and jumped on a pangas with our snorkeling gear and went to BLANK. We walked on the beautiful white sand beach and played with the baby sea lions. Kelsey, Renee, and I got down on our tummies and snuggled up to some of the sea lions. One of the more curious pups came up and kissed us on the nose! It was incredible. We found the skeletons of sea urchins and beautiful shells.
At around 4:00 we split up into an “easy” snorkeling group and “difficult” snorkeling group. Kelsey, Renee and I were in the difficult group. We saw large Galapagos sharks and some white tip reef sharks. It was very deep water. We also saw some sea lions swimming. They are extremely fast! We came back to the ship totally exhausted and ate an excellent dinner after showering. Bedtime now!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
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| A mockingbird, endemic to the island, checks out Kelsey Wogan. |
Today was an early morning. At around 4:30 a.m. the boat docked in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island (we heard the anchor being lowered). At 6:45 a.m. we woke up officially and got ready for breakfast. After breakfast we hopped on the pangas and headed for shore. Buses picked us up and took us on a 45 minute ride to the Highlands. There we saw giant Galapagos tortoises up close and personal. They were so beautiful. After hiking for an hour or two we traveled to the lava tunnel. We hiked underground through the lava tunnel and saw beautiful rock formations. We came out of the tunnel right near the restaurant where the crew had prepared us a yummy barbeque lunch.
After lunch we headed to the Charles Darwin Research Station to see captive tortoises. The baby tortoises were so tiny and adorable. The big adults would let you come right up to them and take pictures. They are so funny when they sleep. Their heads just kind of flop down on the ground. We also saw land iguanas and neat little lizards. After visiting the station we were allowed an hour and a half in town to do shopping. Unfortunately all of the internet cafes were experiencing technical difficulties so we were unable to email home. The shops were pretty and I bought some coffee for my mom.
We jumped on the pangas to return to the ship for showers and dinner. I did my presentation on shark finning tonight before dinner. It went very well. Dinner was wonderful as ever and we had a special birthday cake for Justin’s 21st birthday. Now we’re just socializing and will head to bed soon!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Today we woke up early (6:45) and headed out to Genovesa for a two hour hike. We saw birds, red-footed boobies and small iguanas. Our group didn’t see an endemic owl but the other group did. It was very peaceful here.
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| A white-tip reef shark circles in while we snorkel. |
After the hike we went for a quick deep water snorkel. We saw manta rays and a small black-tip shark. There were tons of huge parrotfish. It was very nice. After the snorkel we had lunch and a wonderful siesta. Then we went on an hour long kayak in the caldera of the sunken volcano that makes up the island. We saw more birds.
We hopped on the pangas and headed for the beach. Some people hung out on the beach and some of us went snorkeling in the shallows. We saw parrotfish, angelfish, pufferfish and a tiger eel that was really beautiful. Then we came back and played by the boat and jumped in the water. We showered and got ready for Fabiana’s presentation, which was excellent. Dinner was yummy and now we’re relaxing on the deck!
Thursday, January 26, 2006
We got up early as usual and ate breakfast. We were 45 minutes late to land at Fernandina so we got to go back to bed for a little bit. Then we woke up and headed out for a tour of Fernandina. We saw huge marine iguanas, cute little baby marine iguanas, Sally lightfoot crabs, sea lions, flightless cormorants and boobies. Then we got on the pangas and rode around for a bit before heading back to the ship to change for snorkeling.
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| Kelsey Wogan gets a close encounter with a curious sea lion. |
The water here is so cold! We put on our wetsuits and jumped in. I was gasping for breath with the cold. It was worth it because there were a million sea turtles, fish, anemones, penguins, boobies and even a ray. It was so awesome. We came back for lunch and a quick nap. We cruised to the neighboring island Isabella. There some of us went kayaking and others went snorkeling again. I was in the snorkeling group. We went along the bay, looking at bright colored sponges, sea anemones, turtles, sea stars, sea lions and fish. We even saw another ray or two.
After snorkeling again, we changed and went on a Power Hike. We hiked up a volcano to the calderas, which was filled with Darwin’s Lake. It was a really fast, intense hike let me tell you. If you can’t hike with the A-Team, then stay on the slow pangas! Then we climbed back down and hopped on the pangas to look for penguins and boobies. It was a nice ride and we saw a beautiful sunset. We ate dinner outside after Renee gave her presentation and now we’re getting ready for bed.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Today we got up early of course and headed out to Santiago Island. We had a wet landing onto a black sand beach. We went on a hike where we saw a hawk, a snake, a scorpion and many iguanas, birds and sea lions. There were also Galapagos fur seals. We found two baby sea lions in a tide pool and we sat in the water to let them kiss our noses. One of them crawled on top of Justin and another one crawled up my legs to get out of the pool. It was wonderful. The tide pools were full of fish and crabs. It was so neat to walk over the black lava.
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| This sea lion almost crashed into my camera! |
We got on our snorkeling gear and saw sharks, turtles, fish, sea lions that blew bubbles at me, Christmas tree worms and stingrays. We exited the water and got on the pangas to head back to the boat. Then we showered and ate lunch. During lunch we sailed to Bartolome Island. At three o’clock we went on a snorkel. Only 8 of us showed for the snorkel because the rest of the people were taking a siesta. The snorkel was amazing. Right away we saw five or six white tip sharks, twenty or thirty stingrays, huge schools of fish, and even an octopus. It inked three or four times. Boli stuck it on the front of his wetsuit so we could touch it. Its suckers got stuck on my fingers.
After the snorkel, we hiked over three hundred steps to the top of the volcanoes. The view was beautiful. The lava was mixed with iron so it looked like a Mars landscape. Even the plants were odd colored (silver, not green). Then we came back and Justin presented his topic and we ate dinner. Now we’re enjoying the night air on deck!
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| New College students and Dr. Meg Lowman (center) pose with our guide, Mr. Bolivar Sanchez (center top) on Genovesa Island at the top of Prince Philip's Steps. Over three hundred wooden steps travel up one of the large volcanoes that make up the island. |
Saturday, January 28, 2006
We woke up at 6:45 and had breakfast. Then we had a dry landing on North Seymour Island. We had to take a long pangas ride to get there because the ship was still fueling at Balta. We passed by Daphne Major and Minor Islands. On North Seymour we hike for a while. We saw male frigate birds with their red pouches inflated, blue-footed boobies doing their hilarious mating dance, iguanas, gulls, pelicans and sea lions. We even saw a sea lion body surfing in the big waves. Very cool.
After the hike we donned our snorkel gear and headed out in the water around the island’s cliffs. We saw marbled rays, white tip reef sharks, playful sea lions, huge nesting triggerfish, pufferfish and burrfish, and lots of schooling fish like yellow tail surgeonfish. It was a wonderful last snorkel.
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| A marine iguana feeds on algae underwater. |
We ate a delicious lunch and then had an amazing siesta. Well rested, we hopped on the pangas for a few hours putting around Black Turtle Cove on Santa Cruz Island. We saw several mating pairs of sea turtles, sharks, rays, pufferfish, lava herons and the beautiful mangrove forests. It was very peaceful and quiet. We came back from the pangas ride and showered. Amanda gave her presentation and we had a farewell cocktail with the captain and crew of the ship. Dinner was fabulous and the dance party afterwards was fun. Unfortunately, we had to pack and this is our last night in the incredible “Enchanted Islands.”
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Unfortunately we had to leave today. We got up and ate our last breakfast on the boat. After saying goodbye we jumped on the pangas in the drizzling rain and drove to the mainland. We got on a bus to go to the Interpretation Center which was like a little information place about Ecuador. Then we went to Whitman’s house and walked around town for a bit. Then we jumped on the plane back to Guayaquil. We stayed at the Hotel Colon again, which was very nice. Renee, Kelsey and I walked to the mall to find internet and explore. Other people went on a bus tour of the city. The city is very big. Then we came back and showered and watched a little tv before heading down to the restaurant for a very fancy farewell dinner. Boli was there so we got to say goodbye. Then we went back upstairs to bed!
Mondayday, January 30, 2006
We woke up at 7 and got ready to leave. Breakfast was served at the hotel buffet style and it was very nice. We got on a bus to go to the airport. Check-in was maddening. There were huge lines and people cut in front of us numerous times but eventually we got through. Unfortunately our flight was already an hour late by the time we checked in. Finally the plane came and now we are preparing for take-off!
ISP Research
In the Galapagos Islands I was studying the brewing controversy of shark finning, which is the practice of fishing for sharks and removing their fins for shark fin soup, an Asian delicacy. The sharks are typically alive when the fins are removed, and they are thrown back into the water to slowly bleed to death or drown. It is a very wasteful practice, only using 2-3% of the shark. The ceratotrichia (cartilaginous fin needles) are boiled for noodles in the soup. The soup is popular because it represents wealth and prestige. It is commonly served at weddings and business meetings. The waters around the Galapagos Islands are rich in marine wildlife, including sharks. Although the sharks are technically protected by the Galapagos Marine Reserve, illegal shark harvesting is very common. There are far too few patrol boats to enforce the laws, so fishermen continue to fin sharks at an alarming rate. The finning enterprise is a million dollar industry. Shark populations are declining drastically and many SCUBA divers who travel to the islands every year to see the sharks report that shark sightings have become very rare. Galapagos sharks, native to the Islands, are spotted less and less. Conservationists and fishermen have clashed repeatedly over the subject of shark finning, leading to giant tortoises being killed by angry fishermen who are protesting the fishing limits. Shark finning is a hot topic in the Galapagos and the fight for the sharks' survival is just beginning.
Snorkeling with sharks is an incredible experience. Every time we encountered a shark, my heart raced and I got very excited. I often swam after them, amazed at their grace...how easy they cut through the water. I always felt clumsy compared to them. The sharks were typically shy of us and after their initial "check-out" of our noisy snorkeling group, they usually cruised by uninterested. Once in a while a curious shark would hang out for a bit, swimming alongside us for a little bit. I found swimming with sharks enchanting, definately an experience to remember.
Links of Interest for Mariah's Journal
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