Floreana Island
Many of us responded to the early morning wake-up call, grabbed a quick cup of coffee and headed out in the Zodiacs. It was a splendid morning, with glassy calm seas and a light breeze. We enjoyed a slow Zodiac ride around a small group of tiny, peaceful islets bathed in turquoise waters, where sea lions rested and romped on isolated beaches and under the cactus trees. Combined with the Zodiac cruise was a short but interesting stop at the historically important Post Office Bay. A barrel was set up here in the 1790’s and since that time, a hand delivered mail service has been carried on by whalers, eccentric yachtsman and most recently, by our guests. We read through the addresses and volunteered to take cards back to hand deliver them, whenever someone from our group would be in that vicinity.
We helped ourselves to the bountiful breakfast (one never tires of the fresh fruit and variety of new foods to sample that are offered to us on the Islander at each meal!) that was waiting for us on board and chatted while the ship navigated a few miles to our next visitor’s site at Champion Islet. We wiggled into our wetsuits, donned our snorkeling gear and took the Zodiacs out into a bracing wind to once again immerse ourselves in the underwater world. Many bright king angel fish and Moorish idols and huge schools of chubs and salemas were just below the choppy ocean surface. Their numbers and colors took our minds off the chilliness of the water. Several friendly and extremely playful sea lions joined us and entertained us with their graceful twists and turns and aquatic ballet. We were glad for hot chocolate and hot showers when we returned, thoroughly chilled and thoroughly delighted, to the ship.
After lunch (and siesta), there was another snorkeling outing to the fast moving and deep waters around Devil’s Crown, or a relaxing hour on the olivine beach at Punta Cormorant. We all gathered at 4 pm for a walk to the brackish lagoon which is a feeding and breeding site for a small flock of brilliant pink flamingoes. The golden afternoon light and peaceful setting was hard to capture on film but stands out in our memories. Across a cindery hill, we descended to a fine white sand beach where dozens of sting rays were half hidden in the sand along the waveline.
To top off this fabulous day, we dined on the sky deck, under the stars and Naturalist Paula pointed out the major planets and constellations. It would be hard to imagine a more satisfying day: gorgeous vistas and close interactions with wildlife, good food, camaraderie…another marvelous day in what is turning out to be a magical week in the Enchanted Islands of the Galápagos.
Many of us responded to the early morning wake-up call, grabbed a quick cup of coffee and headed out in the Zodiacs. It was a splendid morning, with glassy calm seas and a light breeze. We enjoyed a slow Zodiac ride around a small group of tiny, peaceful islets bathed in turquoise waters, where sea lions rested and romped on isolated beaches and under the cactus trees. Combined with the Zodiac cruise was a short but interesting stop at the historically important Post Office Bay. A barrel was set up here in the 1790’s and since that time, a hand delivered mail service has been carried on by whalers, eccentric yachtsman and most recently, by our guests. We read through the addresses and volunteered to take cards back to hand deliver them, whenever someone from our group would be in that vicinity.
We helped ourselves to the bountiful breakfast (one never tires of the fresh fruit and variety of new foods to sample that are offered to us on the Islander at each meal!) that was waiting for us on board and chatted while the ship navigated a few miles to our next visitor’s site at Champion Islet. We wiggled into our wetsuits, donned our snorkeling gear and took the Zodiacs out into a bracing wind to once again immerse ourselves in the underwater world. Many bright king angel fish and Moorish idols and huge schools of chubs and salemas were just below the choppy ocean surface. Their numbers and colors took our minds off the chilliness of the water. Several friendly and extremely playful sea lions joined us and entertained us with their graceful twists and turns and aquatic ballet. We were glad for hot chocolate and hot showers when we returned, thoroughly chilled and thoroughly delighted, to the ship.
After lunch (and siesta), there was another snorkeling outing to the fast moving and deep waters around Devil’s Crown, or a relaxing hour on the olivine beach at Punta Cormorant. We all gathered at 4 pm for a walk to the brackish lagoon which is a feeding and breeding site for a small flock of brilliant pink flamingoes. The golden afternoon light and peaceful setting was hard to capture on film but stands out in our memories. Across a cindery hill, we descended to a fine white sand beach where dozens of sting rays were half hidden in the sand along the waveline.
To top off this fabulous day, we dined on the sky deck, under the stars and Naturalist Paula pointed out the major planets and constellations. It would be hard to imagine a more satisfying day: gorgeous vistas and close interactions with wildlife, good food, camaraderie…another marvelous day in what is turning out to be a magical week in the Enchanted Islands of the Galápagos.
