eGlobal Education

Rabida's large bay, great for snorkeling along the cliffs

Rabida Island is an overnight sail from Genovesa, so we arrived in the early morning at this islet, formed in the last 1.5 million years from its volcano’s huge lava flows. Because it is relatively new, the lava is black and rough, but still home to thousands of birds and reptiles.

Rabida--turquoise cove

We walked along a rocky red beach to a trail that curves upward to a view point and then meanders back to the beach, right by one of the prettiest coves of turquoise water and black lava I have ever seen. On the way, we passed sea lions with their babies, blue-footed boobies diving for fish and the ever-present frigate birds eager to snatch the boobies’ catch literally out of their beaks.

sea star on beach

Lots of star fish, now called sea stars, had washed up on the beach and we learned why during our snorkel along one of Rabida’s rocky cliffs. We saw thousands of sea stars on the sand of the shallow ledge just off the cliffs. Several people saw sharks. We could watch underwater as the diving boobies hit the surface and quickly grabbed one of the small fish circulating in the midst of a swarm of siblings. They are extremely efficient in their motion, diving from a height of several hundred feet like little missiles, streamlined by plastering their wings against their bodies, pointing their beaks and necks straight down and tucking their feet. They hit the water like Olympic divers, straight in with minimal splash, high speed and great accuracy, quickly flying straight up out of the water with, if they're lucky, their prize fish.

Blue-footed Boobies on cliff

Here, too, lives a small grey heron. We watched one of them scouring the rocks for tiny black crabs. When she found one, she struck like lightening, gobbling it up in just a few seconds, no doubt an adaptation that enables her to keep her own food away from the frigate birds. Brown pelicans, American oyster catchers and the Galapagos hawk share the island with the blue-footed boobies and frigate birds, each fitting into its particular niche in this stark environment.

We moved in the afternoon to a tinier islet, Chinese Hat, which does, indeed, look a bit like a hat. We snorkeled in a calm bay, seeing very large fish and 2 sharks. I think this was the best snorkeling we’ve had during the trip because of the abundance of the fish and the gorgeous colors they display. As we neared the rocks at the end of the bay, 2 Galapagos penguins watched us from their perches on the lava.

Galapagos Gray Heron

They are thin in numbers right now due to the devastating effects of the last El Nino a couple of years ago which brought warm water to these islands, killing off the algae that the iguanas and marine turtles rely on. Fish numbers also dropped dramatically, causing starvation among many of the bird populations including the penguins.

Late in the afternoon, we landed on Chinese Hat and followed a rocky trail along the shore. This must be a sea lion nursery because we saw so many new mothers with their babies, including several newborns from earlier in the day. Their faces are so sweet and they are all so unafraid of us. Their big predators are the sharks that live in these waters. Many sea lions have large scars on their bodies, showing a very close call with a shark. And these are the ones that survived.

American Oyster Catcher

Several of the babies, only about 2 to 3 weeks old, lay on the rocks or sand waiting for their mothers to return from fishing far out at sea. The mothers do not leave their babies for 2 weeks, nursing them all that time without food. Finally, they have to eat to survive, so leave their infants for several days in order to feed themselves and be able to produce the milk the babies need. Some of the little ones looked very skinny as they awaited their mothers’ return. Our guide told us that within a day of having their mothers back, the babies would have round, full bellies. But, this must be a trying time for these bewildered and patient little creatures.