Galapagos – The Last Pristine Place on Earth?

THE PURPOSE OF THE ADVENTURE:

Recently I set off on a quest to the Galapagos, an archipelago off the coast of Ecuador with the most incredible animals – a place that inspired Darwin’s Theory Of Evolution. Our wonderful host Eddie Salazar shared with us the most magnificent parts of his homeland and best waves with his companies Galapagos Exclusive Tours and Amangala Surf Tours.

My adventure quest was two fold, document the unique animals on land and sea, AND meet with government officials and local communities to learn how they are maintaining the Galapagos as one of the last pristine places on earth. Galapagos can be a model for other countries to follow – they have plastic pollution education as part of school curriculum, conduct weekly beach cleanups, and the government has outlawed single use plastics.

THE SECRET OF THE GALAPAGOS:

As the mayor and governor agreed in and interview, “The secret of keeping the Galapagos paradise is that the locals love their Archipelago – protecting the Galapagos is in their hearts. The children learn in school not throw plastic and they even teach the adults and visitors. Family is the basis for taking care of the conservation. We take pride in our island and the children learn how important it is to keep plastics and other pollution out of the environment.”

WHY THE GALAPAGOS IS IMPORTANT TO PROTECT!

I joined in weekly beach cleanups and carefully documented the natural beauty of the Galapagos oceanic wildlife – marine iguanas, sharks, penguins, turtles, blue footed boobies and native sea lions – to inspire other countries to also protect the ocean shores and wildlife. The Galapagos is working hard to protect it’s fragile ecosystem, yet is under threat by plastics carried on ocean currents from the rest of the world – They have seen labels from as far as Saudi Arabia, China, other South American countries, and the US. AND climate change poses a very severe threat to many of the following animals, some of which are highly endangered.

We must come together as an entire planet to protect our environment, our oceans, and the animals that call home.

ANIMALS OF THE GALAPAGOS

GIANT TORTOISE FILM

Galapagos Giant Tortoise

• Worlds largest and longest living tortoise – Can live hundreds of years and weigh up to 500lbs
• Giant tortoises are the longest-lived of all vertebrates
• They almost went extinct due to poaching, habitat distraction and nonnative species such as feral pigs, dogs, cats, rats, goats, and cattle are a continuing threat to their food supply and eggs.
• Some species on some island are extinct
• Many now listed as endangered or critically endangered
• Spanish sailors who discovered the archipelago in 1535 actually named it after the abundant tortoises; the Spanish word for tortoise is galápago.
• They can survive up to a year without eating or drinking.

MARINE IGUANA

Marine Iguana

• They are protected throughout the archipelago and are considered vulnerable to extinction due to climate change effecting their only food sound (algae) and non-native predators like rats, feral cats, and dogs, who feed on their eggs and young.
• Floated from mainland South America and evolved over millions of years to have tails that work as fins
• Can dive to 60 ft and stay under an hour

PENGUIN FILM

The Galápagos penguin

• Rarest penguin species
• There is only an estimated 600 couples left
• Under extreme threat by climate change and ocean pollution
• It is the only penguin found north of the equator.

THANK YOU TO THE SUPPORTERS OF THE CAUSE:

It is important for companies to shift to sustainable products and for every individual to invest in ocean protection. For this expedition I was excited to work with Lost Surfboards to make my surfboard out of recycled coffee cups, Raw Elements reefs-safe sunscreen to protect the animals from deadly toxins, and Olukai footwear working to spread #AnywhereAloha.

Book your own Galapagos trip with Galapagos Exclusive Tours and Amangala Surf Tours.

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