The earthquake that rocked Japan two weeks ago sent a tsunami sprawling across the Pacific Ocean and forced a 15-person Radford University biology class to higher ground during its recent spring break study experience in the Galapagos Islands.

The class was evacuated by Ecuadorian officials as a precautionary measure at noon on March 11 and spent about 12 hours sheltered in the hills above Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island in the archipelago that lies about 600 miles off the Ecuadorian coast.

“The evacuation happened on the last day of the class, so the interruption was minor,” said Joel Hagen, department chair and professor of biology, who led the BIOL 481 class called Special Topics: Biology of the Galapagos Islands. “The students were a good group and handled things gracefully.”

According to Hagen, the party was sheltered in an open air restaurant under a tin roof that was rattled by heavy rains during the day. The class’s shelter was well above the harbor, which sustained damage to the wharf and boats anchored within by a wave that was about two meters high. The party made its scheduled flights off the islands to Guayaquil, from which it made a timely return to Radford. 

During the unscheduled foray into the hills, Hagen was in touch with the Radford University International Education Emergency Team by email, and he said two students were in contact with their parents through text messaging and that those parents connected with the parents of other students in the group. 

The week-long trip included four days of island-hopping on a 25-foot boat in the park, and the class visited sites on the islands that were visited by Charles Darwin on the famous Beagle expedition and were inspirations for his "Origin of the Species."

“Compared to the seasickness that came with time spent at sea, the evacuation was a minor problem,” said Hagen.