Floreana Island
Flat water reached from horizon to shore as the National Geographic Polaris lay at anchor off of Post Office Bay, in the southeastern corner of the archipelago. Red-lined clouds spoke to the sun rising in the east, and soon enough the sky had cleared for a sunny day.
Those who follow in the footsteps of captains such as James Colnett and David Porter, call on the barrel to leave postcards with the hope that some unknown fellow-traveller from another vessel in the near future will deliver it to the addressee. A tradition of perhaps 300 years is kept alive by these exchanges!
The visibility in the water around Champion Islet was superb, so all who went on the Glass Bottom Boat or snorkelling were thrilled with the sights. The sea lions, without doubt, were the show-stoppers. Double-barrel turns with rippling fur followed by arcs of bubbles from fin manoeuvres. There’s nothing quite like seeing it coming straight at you, and having the animal inches away before it veers to one side – laughter bubbles streaming from its nose. I live for this.
The afternoon provided perfect conditions for a round of kayaking or swimming and/or snorkelling from a brown beach. Finally, when the intensity of the heat had begun to lessen, we headed ashore for an easy walk along a cinder path to search for flamingos (which we found), pintail ducks and stilts. Marine turtles were the stunning highlights on the soft white beach termed “flour beach” by the naturalists who know it well. The fine sand attracts the females during nesting season, and their tracks were everywhere, both coming up and leaving the dunes above high tide. Sting rays also adore this beach, a quick damper to anyone’s desire to jump in to cool off.
The setting sun reflected off the beach and silhouetted a yellow-crowned night heron, which watched our departure with an impassive expression awaiting nightfall and undoubtedly hoping for good hunting along the shore.
Flat water reached from horizon to shore as the National Geographic Polaris lay at anchor off of Post Office Bay, in the southeastern corner of the archipelago. Red-lined clouds spoke to the sun rising in the east, and soon enough the sky had cleared for a sunny day.
Those who follow in the footsteps of captains such as James Colnett and David Porter, call on the barrel to leave postcards with the hope that some unknown fellow-traveller from another vessel in the near future will deliver it to the addressee. A tradition of perhaps 300 years is kept alive by these exchanges!
The visibility in the water around Champion Islet was superb, so all who went on the Glass Bottom Boat or snorkelling were thrilled with the sights. The sea lions, without doubt, were the show-stoppers. Double-barrel turns with rippling fur followed by arcs of bubbles from fin manoeuvres. There’s nothing quite like seeing it coming straight at you, and having the animal inches away before it veers to one side – laughter bubbles streaming from its nose. I live for this.
The afternoon provided perfect conditions for a round of kayaking or swimming and/or snorkelling from a brown beach. Finally, when the intensity of the heat had begun to lessen, we headed ashore for an easy walk along a cinder path to search for flamingos (which we found), pintail ducks and stilts. Marine turtles were the stunning highlights on the soft white beach termed “flour beach” by the naturalists who know it well. The fine sand attracts the females during nesting season, and their tracks were everywhere, both coming up and leaving the dunes above high tide. Sting rays also adore this beach, a quick damper to anyone’s desire to jump in to cool off.
The setting sun reflected off the beach and silhouetted a yellow-crowned night heron, which watched our departure with an impassive expression awaiting nightfall and undoubtedly hoping for good hunting along the shore.
