We had a long cruise through the night and times it was a bit rough and we rolled around in our beds quite a bit. But we were lucky, no one fell out!! We arrive at Isla Genovesa (Tower) just before 6AM. It is a very interesting island in the perfect shape of a crater, with one small bit gone that let the sea pour in and fill up the old crater. We were up when we arrived as we needed to get ready for our dive of the morning.
Dive #5: Outer Wall, Isla Genovesa (Tower): We jumped into the zodiac and were warned that it could be a rough ride out there. The winds were up and we would leave the protection of the bay and head out to dive on the outer wall, just where the Panama current hits Isla Genovesa. And it was a rough ride - we got a free Disney ride as we bounced over 1.5 meter waves in our tiny zodiac. We quickly got ready and back-rolled into the water. The first pleasant aspect of the dive - the water is a relatively balmy 24°C thanks to the Panama current. The next pleasant surprise was the great visibility - we could see for over 20 to 25 meters. There was not too much current and the water was calm below the surface. We pretty much hung out in one spot to see what would come cruise by. First to appear were the three manta rays - one was huge with a wing span of over 3 to 4 meters. Soon thereafter a spotted eagle ray came to join the party. There were then the usual sting rays. A large school of tuna zipped by right in front of us. One well camouflaged stone fish was trying to hide from us amongst the many rocks that were scattered on the sandy bottom. Finally a flounder fluttered right by us - a funny looking creature. It looked like it had been squashed and somehow got to have both eyes on the one side. Lots of small fish all over the place. Not too many big fish in the end, but still a very nice dive. Getting back on the zodiac was a bit of a chore as we bounced around in the waves, but we all made it. Then for the long, wet and bouncy ride back to the boat, where a hot shower and breakfast awaited us.
Our first shore excursion was to Darwin's Bay, were we made a wet landing on the beach. There were the usual guardians of the beach - the sea lions. We then went in search of the red-footed boobies - they are the most numerous boobies in the Galapagos, but they only appear in the northern most islands, so we wanted to make sure we found them. We did not have too far to look - they were right on the trail. They are a bit different from the other boobies in that they will perch on trees (yes, with their webbed feet) and build nests in the trees. They also feed farther out to sea than the blue-footed, so they do not compete. We found a juvenile red-footed booby in a tree that took a strong interest in Jacqui. We were surprised that he did not fall out as he checked out Jacqui.
We almost stumbled on a swallow-tailed gull nest, where the proud parents were taking care of a new-born chick. The mother was regurgitating a squid for the chick to eat from.
There were frigate bird chicks all over the place. One was badly wounded around the head. It looked like it had been attacked (maybe it was trying to take food from the wrong parent) and its head and neck was all bloody from a horrible peeking that it sustained. We hope that he will make it.
There were the usual marine iguanas and masked boobies. We wandered on top of a low cliff top and watched the birds down below us. Part of the way we wandered on an old lava flow. Once back at the beach, we admired the sea lions at play in the surf while we waited for the zodiac to take us back to the boat, where we had to get ready for our next dive.
Dive #6: Darwin's Bay, Isla Genovesa (Tower): This dive was along the inner wall, so we did not have as long nor as rough a ride to the dive site. We took the zodiac right up to the cliff wall and back-rolled into the water. We only descended down to about 15 meters, as below that the water temperature dropped, along with the visibility. The line between the two zones was so clear, and you could drift down and up between them within less than a meter. We swam back towards the boat against a slight current. The highlight of the dive was 14 plus flight of golden rays that cruised right by us a s we hung out by the wall. We will never tire of watching there graceful creatures. As Lars drifted over a small hole in the ground, Jacqui watched as a large moray came a few feet out of the hole to see what was casting a shadow over his home. While he may have looked like he was about to bite, this was just because it must breath through its mouth, so it is constantly open like it might bite you - makes them look more vicious than they are. A sting ray swam up out of the depth and as he spotted us, he turned around and swam right back down the wall. Another sting ray came off the bottom where it had been resting and swam less than a foot under Jacqui as she hovered. As we ascended, a school of barracudas circled around us.
Once back on the boat, we wash up and have a quick lunch and then go for a badly needed siesta in our cabin. We have a very nice cabin with a double bed and a large bay window.
Shortly after 3 PM we go ashore one more time. We land at Prince Philip's steps, which is supposed to be a dry landing. It is a bit tricky as you need to step on a small stone platform and the boat is rising and falling with the waves. One member of our group stumbles and falls in as he tries to go ashore. The guide grabs his bag with the camera before it falls in and the other guide (our dive master) jumps into the water to help him get back on the zodiac.
We then climb the steps cut into the cliff face to get to the top, where there is a plateau. We see the usual masked boobies, but we spend more time looking for the red-footed boobies. There are quite a few more here as compared to the beach and we are able to get a close look at them and their strange red feet. There are quite a few juveniles.
We wander out to the outer cliff top, where we walk along for some time. We are trying to find the short-eared owl that is diurnal, so it is easier to find than the barn owl which is nocturnal. We spend quite some time scanning the rocks with our binoculars (the guide has offered a beer to the first person to find one), but to no avail. But we have a good time watching all the other birds. We have one of the mockingbird following us as he wants a drink from Jacqui's water bottle. We find one dead juvenile frigate bird - it may have crashed while trying to learn to fly.
Around 5 PM we head back to the steps to get into the zodiacs to go for a ride along the inner cliff wall to see what kinds of birds that we can find. We are fortunate - the clouds start to clear and the setting sun lights up the cliff face in a bright yellow glow.
The first thing we spot is a fur seal lazing in the rocks. We are able to spot all three types of herons: lava, striated and yellow-crowned night. We spot one of the many shearwaters squeezing into its small hole in the cliff wall. We find the red-billed tropic bird. There are also the other usual birds (boobies, frigates, gull, etc.) flying over head and sitting on the rocks and trees that dot the cliff.
Once back on board we get ready for dinner, after which we work on our dive log books and get our cabin ready for a rough sea crossing tonight. The boat pulls anchor and heads out of the sheltered bay at 8:30 PM. Once we leave the protection of the bay, we know what kind of a night we will be in for. We go and sit outside on the upper deck watching the sea being lit up by the almost full moon. At the same time, we can see the waves that are causing the boat to rock so much. We are going up and down in the seas. We decide to retreat to the cabin and go to bed, even though it is very early.
It is not a restful night as we cross back into the southern hemisphere. The boat is pitching and rocking and the noise can at times be quite disturbing as we hear the waves bang against the metal hull. We were just glad that we were not sleeping in the bow. We hear the next morning that the waves were so great that they were breaking over the bow of the boat and the sea spray was blown back and over the upper decks.