Galápagos: Life on Deck

Up on a cliff were a Galápagos Brown Pelican spreading its wing among a colony of Marine Iguanas. June 2025.

Intro

I spent 11 days on the Galápagos Islands last summer. Five days were on board a yacht called Fragata. I occupied a two-man cabin on the lower deck alone. Galápagos is quite unlike any place I’ve ever been. Being there was like stepping into one of those Discovery Channel documentaries. Or fever dream, or both.

This is a gallery of the photos I took on the yacht trip across the five days. Every photo was edited in Nikon NX Studio. I have taken over 4,500 photos across this trip. Although all I did was light editing, it took a considerable amount of time. There was a considerable amount of snorkling with all sorts of marine lives involved, but unfortunately I had no underwater equipment.

On board

Frigate birds, frequent visitors on the Fragata

Frigate birds were frequent visitors on the Fragata.

Punta Vicente Roca (Isla Isabela)

A dinghy ride along the coast with the crew.

Sleeping sealion, Galápagos penguin; brown noddy resting on the cliff; pelican grazing over the water; majestic blue-footed boobies; flightless cormorant triumphing over its catch.

At times the waves were rough and the dinghy bounced and bucked. The guide took us on a search for the sunfish in the open water for about half an hour, but to no avail.

Punta Espinoza (Isla Fernandina)

Dry landed on Punta Espinoza, we went on a hike on the (hardened) lava flows, cutting through hundreds-strong iguana colonies. It was like another planet altogether.