Floreana
Last night’s crossing did involve a bit of rock and roll! For some of us the swaying just put us into a deeper sleep; others are looking forward to this afternoon’s siesta. We began the day early with a short visit and panga ride to Post Office Bay. Celso recounted the history of this area and then we sorted through a stack of post cards, taking any that one of the guests could hand deliver upon their return to the US. We carefully motored among the rocky shores of a series of small beaches and islets where we found a bachelor sea lion colony, many sea turtles and several species of shore birds. At this time of the morning, the golden light on the tall cactus trees was quite lovely.
We were hungry and definitely ready for breakfast when we re-boarded the Islander at 8:00 a.m. The Captain hauled up the anchor and set our course to Champion Islet. Many of us went snorkeling with hundreds of fish and several playful sea lions; afterwards we took a Zodiac cruise around Champion in search of the elusive and rare Floreana mockingbird.
In the afternoon, there was an option for “Rambo” snorkeling around Devil’s Crown where the current was swift, and we saw thousands of fish and a good size white-tipped reef shark. Other guests went to the beach for a stroll, a swim or relaxation. At 4:00 p.m. we headed off on a short walk that proved to be extremely rewarding!
We observed flamingos, some extremely close to us, and through binoculars and long lenses, watched two small chicks and three incubating birds at the base of a lava flow across the brackish lagoon. But it was over a cindery rise and on an exquisite fine white sand beach that we watched a small slice of the beginning (and end) of a sea turtle’s life.
We spied a hatchling sea turtle struggling out of the dunes and down towards the sea. We cheered it on, watched with concern when it took a wrong turn back towards the beach, and named it: first “Squirt” and then (after I had pointed out the frigates patrolling over head and forewarned the group that this little story might have a sad ending) “Snack”. And that is what this hatchling turtle ended up being.
But to our delight, another hatchling appeared, and we located the nest where dozens of babies were sitting quietly, waiting for night fall. The second turtle had better luck and made it into the sea and swam off shore. We held our breath, but no hungry frigate dropped from the sky to snatch the turtle from among the waves. That ended this wonderful day on a happy note. As the sunset began, we returned to the ship for a briefing, Josh’s video preview, a delicious BBQ on the sky deck, and latino dancing under a full moon. WOW – again!
Last night’s crossing did involve a bit of rock and roll! For some of us the swaying just put us into a deeper sleep; others are looking forward to this afternoon’s siesta. We began the day early with a short visit and panga ride to Post Office Bay. Celso recounted the history of this area and then we sorted through a stack of post cards, taking any that one of the guests could hand deliver upon their return to the US. We carefully motored among the rocky shores of a series of small beaches and islets where we found a bachelor sea lion colony, many sea turtles and several species of shore birds. At this time of the morning, the golden light on the tall cactus trees was quite lovely.
We were hungry and definitely ready for breakfast when we re-boarded the Islander at 8:00 a.m. The Captain hauled up the anchor and set our course to Champion Islet. Many of us went snorkeling with hundreds of fish and several playful sea lions; afterwards we took a Zodiac cruise around Champion in search of the elusive and rare Floreana mockingbird.
In the afternoon, there was an option for “Rambo” snorkeling around Devil’s Crown where the current was swift, and we saw thousands of fish and a good size white-tipped reef shark. Other guests went to the beach for a stroll, a swim or relaxation. At 4:00 p.m. we headed off on a short walk that proved to be extremely rewarding!
We observed flamingos, some extremely close to us, and through binoculars and long lenses, watched two small chicks and three incubating birds at the base of a lava flow across the brackish lagoon. But it was over a cindery rise and on an exquisite fine white sand beach that we watched a small slice of the beginning (and end) of a sea turtle’s life.
We spied a hatchling sea turtle struggling out of the dunes and down towards the sea. We cheered it on, watched with concern when it took a wrong turn back towards the beach, and named it: first “Squirt” and then (after I had pointed out the frigates patrolling over head and forewarned the group that this little story might have a sad ending) “Snack”. And that is what this hatchling turtle ended up being.
But to our delight, another hatchling appeared, and we located the nest where dozens of babies were sitting quietly, waiting for night fall. The second turtle had better luck and made it into the sea and swam off shore. We held our breath, but no hungry frigate dropped from the sky to snatch the turtle from among the waves. That ended this wonderful day on a happy note. As the sunset began, we returned to the ship for a briefing, Josh’s video preview, a delicious BBQ on the sky deck, and latino dancing under a full moon. WOW – again!
