Floreana Island
This morning we rose early for a pre-breakfast hike at Punta Cormorant. The ocean was calm and the sky partly cloudy. The air temperature was cool; perfect for a morning walk. We spent time at two very different beaches. The first beach we landed on was of volcanic origin, and contained a lot of peridot, quartz and volcanic sand. We saw many benthic organisms washed up on this beach. The color of the sand was olive green. Right behind the beach was a hyper-saline pond where Galápagos flamingoes fed on invertebrates like brine shrimp. After the pond we walked to the other beach, which is of fine powdery sand. This beach was created foremost by the feeding of parrotfish on corals. One parrotfish can produce up to 3 pounds of sand a week. Made of calcium carbonate, this sand feels cool to the skin all day. Many crustaceans prefer this sand over the volcanic, so you can sometimes see dozens of stingrays in the shallow parts.
After breakfast we headed out looking for Charles mockingbirds, probably the rarest mockingbird species on the planet. We did this aboard a Zodiac, circumnavigating the small islet called Champion, which lies about a half-mile off the coast of Floreana. Not much later we entered the water with our snorkels and played with many young sea lions. They were happy subjects for our cameras, and their constant frolicking made us laugh out loud several times.
Later, after lunch and a siesta, we headed for Post Office, which is nothing more than an old wooden barrel where we could drop our mail and pickup others with the promise to hand-deliver it. The custom is a few hundred years old, and is — nowadays — unique in the world. Just imagine the stories of all the different encounters over all the years.
After the barrel we embarked on another Zodiac cruise along the scenic coast, spotting shore birds, sea lions and green sea turtles. The sun set while some of us paddled back in kayaks instead of aboard the Zodiacs. Floreana was basking in the soft light, and light mist began to form up in the hills. It is beckoning us, luring us in more adventures. We all silently wish we could stay a few more days, for there seems so much more to discover.
