Floreana
The brave “do-it-all-ers” among us were tuned in, once more this morning, to channel 1 and arose at 6:00 a.m. with my early wake-up call. We visited Post Office Bay, heard about the history of the barrel, left our mail and took any that we could hand deliver. The ocean was mirror calm this morning and we had a beautiful panga ride around the islets of La Loberia where we found a sea lion colony.
Following breakfast we wiggled into our wet suits, grabbed our maks and snorkels and motored by Zodiac to Champion Islet. This morning’s snorkelling outing was fabulous! Calm conditions and good water clarity combined with lots of colorful fish, rays, sharks and sea lions translated into a super time for all of us. Hot chocolate was available for the chilled snorkelers when we reached the ship.
Our next activity was Zodiac rides around Champion, which is home to the rare Floreana mocking bird. We found several mockers among the Opuntia cactus and in addition admired blue-footed boobies, noddy terns, Galápagos shearwaters and the especially attractive red-billed tropic birds.
After siesta we went snorkelling at Devil’s Crown or kayaking along the coast of Punta Cormorant. We hiked from the greenish olivine beach to a fine white sand beach which is a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. The afternoon was a delightful combination of great activity (for the snorkelers and kayakers) and a peaceful and relaxing walk. As on every other day we had countless fantastic photo opportunities: this great blue heron was one bird who almost seemed posed for our benefit!
The brave “do-it-all-ers” among us were tuned in, once more this morning, to channel 1 and arose at 6:00 a.m. with my early wake-up call. We visited Post Office Bay, heard about the history of the barrel, left our mail and took any that we could hand deliver. The ocean was mirror calm this morning and we had a beautiful panga ride around the islets of La Loberia where we found a sea lion colony.
Following breakfast we wiggled into our wet suits, grabbed our maks and snorkels and motored by Zodiac to Champion Islet. This morning’s snorkelling outing was fabulous! Calm conditions and good water clarity combined with lots of colorful fish, rays, sharks and sea lions translated into a super time for all of us. Hot chocolate was available for the chilled snorkelers when we reached the ship.
Our next activity was Zodiac rides around Champion, which is home to the rare Floreana mocking bird. We found several mockers among the Opuntia cactus and in addition admired blue-footed boobies, noddy terns, Galápagos shearwaters and the especially attractive red-billed tropic birds.
After siesta we went snorkelling at Devil’s Crown or kayaking along the coast of Punta Cormorant. We hiked from the greenish olivine beach to a fine white sand beach which is a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. The afternoon was a delightful combination of great activity (for the snorkelers and kayakers) and a peaceful and relaxing walk. As on every other day we had countless fantastic photo opportunities: this great blue heron was one bird who almost seemed posed for our benefit!
