Darwin and Wolf Islands, located within the Galápagos archipelago, are sought-after destinations for scuba divers and marine biologists alike, and I am no exception. Inspired by these remarkable locations, I even authored a children’s book that envisions a team of researchers exploring the marine marvels of the Galápagos aboard a beautiful sailing vessel.
This year, I had the incredible opportunity to join a genuine expedition to Darwin and Wolf Islands, an experience that still feels surreal to me.
Before delving into the details of my amazing journey and observations from these remote, uninhabited islands, here are some key articles worth reading this week:
- ‘Super-rich’ assets cause outsized amount of climate harm
- ‘An equal and habitable world is possible’: academics set out sweeping vision for planetary survival
- ‘This may be our last chance’: rising sea levels threaten Kiribati’s World Cup dream | The Hotspot
In March, I became the first journalist invited to accompany a team from the Charles Darwin Foundation, which conducts biannual expeditions to these unique islands situated approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off Ecuador’s coast. For two weeks, I lived aboard a 22-meter (71-foot) diving yacht alongside 12 scientists and crew members. Each day, while engaging in scuba diving, freediving, and using inflatable boats, we were surrounded by a vibrant array of wildlife. Green sea turtles surfaced occasionally, while playful sea lions waved their flippers as they relaxed nearby. Flocks of boobies flew alongside our boats, seemingly eager to land atop our heads.
The purpose of my adventure was to narrate the story of the remarkable migrations undertaken by scalloped hammerhead sharks, a critically endangered species that gathers in large numbers around Darwin and Wolf Islands. Pregnant females travel over 1,000 kilometers from the Galápagos back to the mainland to give birth in Panama’s mangrove forests.
Despite my extensive experience in marine research and journalism spanning over two decades, this was my first encounter with a hammerhead shark. Witnessing multiple sharks at once served as an exhilarating reminder of the importance of protecting our oceanic ecosystems.
The research team was not solely focused on hammerhead sharks; they were also studying the broader marine ecosystem. We spent long hours navigating around the islands, deploying waterproof cameras into the ocean and retrieving them after several hours. Scuba divers maneuvered cameras along horizontal paths underwater. This methodical research is conducted in the same areas year after year.
Among the team members is Katherine Rezabala, an Ecuadorian marine biologist responsible for analyzing the video footage back at the research station. Her role involves counting, identifying, and measuring every fish captured on film. Having spent two years in this role, she has become adept at recognizing over 50 species of bony fish. I witnessed Katherine’s emotional connection to her work as she described her experience diving off Darwin and Wolf Islands, acknowledging her familiarity with every species in her vicinity. “While everyone else is focused on the sharks,” she shared, “I’m focused on the teleosts.”
Although long-term monitoring may not seem as glamorous as tagging hammerhead sharks with satellite trackers, Katherine’s work is essential for understanding the evolving conditions of this marine region. The Galápagos is characterized by naturally turbulent waters, with cold and warm currents intersecting. I experienced this firsthand while scuba diving; cool pockets of water shimmered before me like mirages, and upon swimming into them, I felt a brief chill before warming up again.
However, larger environmental changes are impacting the Galápagos both above and below the surface. Reports suggest that El Niño is likely to return this year, with significant implications for global temperature and rainfall patterns. The Galápagos will be at the epicenter of this phenomenon. The cold upwelling currents, which typically supply essential nutrients, may decrease as warmer waters encroach. Forecasts indicate this could be a significant El Niño event, the fourth since the 1980s, potentially decimating large portions of marine life.
The Charles Darwin Foundation team is scheduled to return to Darwin and Wolf Islands in September to assess the status of the hammerhead sharks and other fish populations.
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