As we drew into Puerto Ayora this morning (the largest human settlement of the Galapagos Islands and home to the National Park Service and Charles Darwin Research Station) the whole natural history staff was on deck, heart in mouth, half expecting to see black muck covering everything, concealing the habitual turquoise waters of the beautiful Academy Bay. The news of the oil spill disaster had cast a shadow of concern on our week, though the southern and western archipelago were as beautiful and pristine as ever. We had bow-riding dolphins, Bryde's whales at sunset, odd-looking flightless cormorants and charming little penguins dotting the shoreline, as well as hundreds of marine iguanas and sea lions. Just the thought that all this wonderful nature and these strange ecologically innocent creatures could be wiped out by some awful negligence of mankind was almost more than we could bear, and the news that what could have been a catastrophe had been narrowly averted was the best gift any of us could have received.

The waters of Pelikan Bay were still sparkling turquoise, and no sign of pollution could be seen anywhere. The currents and winds had saved the day, and taken most of the fuel north, away from the coasts of San Cristobal (the island outside which the Jessica ran ashore) and into open ocean. Some of the fuel reached the coasts of Santa Cruz, and has dirtied the beautiful white sands of Tortuga Bay, the local beach. A band about twenty inches wide of muck was left at the high tide line, and it was very moving to see everyone, from fishermen to conservationists to school children to Polaris crew members all work together (at long last!), all day long, to clean the beach and avoid much impact.

Although much work and monitoring needs to be done over the next couple of years, it seems we may have dodged the bullet this time. We must however put this valuable lesson to good use, in avoiding any such future disasters. In the meantime, seeing the Galapagos community come together like this gives a message of hope, the future is bright and we went on with our wonderful visit to the highlands of Santa Cruz and its giant tortoises, finches and vermilion flycatchers, with a slightly lighter heart.