Floreana Island
Could we have asked for more? Could we have been given more? No. our experiences with Floreana Island today went far beyond everyone’s expectations.
It began in the quiet waters north of the island in the protected bay known as Post Office Bay. Zodiacs left with their load of adventurous souls and returned with stories of post cards, sea lions and turtles.
After breakfast and a repositioning sail of only 45 minutes, the Islander anchored off the small islet of Champion. I was the last staff member to leave for snorkeling, delighted to be traveling with the more hesitant snorkelers not interested in dealing with current, surface waves and such. So, we drove directly for a tiny bay only a few dozen yards across yet surrounded by very steep cliffs of the red cinder which makes up the volcanic structure of Champion. Inside this echoing bay, a large bull sea lion patrolled the far narrow beach, and where a few younger sea lions dashed playfully between jumps.
Slowly and carefully we all got into the water, calmed down as we became accustomed to the equipment, and left the bay. It was close to the end of our snorkeling time, after having played ourselves with sea lions and gazed at colorful fish, when the enormous manta ray came cruising ever-so-slowly along in the shallows. I yelled to everybody of what was coming, but probably scared people unintentionally by the excited tone of my voice. Yet all stayed bravely in the water and had the magnificent sight of this enormous animal seemingly oblivious to our presence above it. We were given the great joy of several minutes in the presence of the ray. With the “horns,” or mouth flaps spread on either side of the head, it funneled plankton into its mouth all the while describing gentle circles and curves with a simple, slow flick of one or other giant wing tip.
This emotional high kept us flying as we returned to the ship and continued on with further Zodiac rides where Floreana mockingbirds were seen, and Harvard Alumni Professor Owen Gingerich spoke of Copernicus.
The afternoon was filled with visits to Devil’s Crown by snorkelers, the off-shore islets by kayakers, and by all to Pt. Cormorant where brilliant salmon-colored flamingos fed in the shallow, brackish waters of the lagoon. Marine turtles floated in the surf close to shore off “Flour Beach”, waiting for nightfall and an opportunity to crawl forth and dig nests.
Stars literally filled the sky after a deck barbecue, and they called strongly to some of us, so we shut down lights once more as Professor Gingerich spoke with passion of these oh-so-distant objects. The Andromeda galaxy, star clusters and the Large Magellanic Cloud were just some of the fascinating sources of light that filled our binoculars and minds with their mysteries.Cindy Manning, Expedition Leader
Could we have asked for more? Could we have been given more? No. our experiences with Floreana Island today went far beyond everyone’s expectations.
It began in the quiet waters north of the island in the protected bay known as Post Office Bay. Zodiacs left with their load of adventurous souls and returned with stories of post cards, sea lions and turtles.
After breakfast and a repositioning sail of only 45 minutes, the Islander anchored off the small islet of Champion. I was the last staff member to leave for snorkeling, delighted to be traveling with the more hesitant snorkelers not interested in dealing with current, surface waves and such. So, we drove directly for a tiny bay only a few dozen yards across yet surrounded by very steep cliffs of the red cinder which makes up the volcanic structure of Champion. Inside this echoing bay, a large bull sea lion patrolled the far narrow beach, and where a few younger sea lions dashed playfully between jumps.
Slowly and carefully we all got into the water, calmed down as we became accustomed to the equipment, and left the bay. It was close to the end of our snorkeling time, after having played ourselves with sea lions and gazed at colorful fish, when the enormous manta ray came cruising ever-so-slowly along in the shallows. I yelled to everybody of what was coming, but probably scared people unintentionally by the excited tone of my voice. Yet all stayed bravely in the water and had the magnificent sight of this enormous animal seemingly oblivious to our presence above it. We were given the great joy of several minutes in the presence of the ray. With the “horns,” or mouth flaps spread on either side of the head, it funneled plankton into its mouth all the while describing gentle circles and curves with a simple, slow flick of one or other giant wing tip.
This emotional high kept us flying as we returned to the ship and continued on with further Zodiac rides where Floreana mockingbirds were seen, and Harvard Alumni Professor Owen Gingerich spoke of Copernicus.
The afternoon was filled with visits to Devil’s Crown by snorkelers, the off-shore islets by kayakers, and by all to Pt. Cormorant where brilliant salmon-colored flamingos fed in the shallow, brackish waters of the lagoon. Marine turtles floated in the surf close to shore off “Flour Beach”, waiting for nightfall and an opportunity to crawl forth and dig nests.
Stars literally filled the sky after a deck barbecue, and they called strongly to some of us, so we shut down lights once more as Professor Gingerich spoke with passion of these oh-so-distant objects. The Andromeda galaxy, star clusters and the Large Magellanic Cloud were just some of the fascinating sources of light that filled our binoculars and minds with their mysteries.Cindy Manning, Expedition Leader
