The mist covered Punta Cormorant, a visitors’ site located at the northeast side of Floreana. At 6:30 am we started our adventure. We came very early to this spot because “the early bird gets the worm.” It is when marine turtles return to the ocean after spending the night laying their eggs on the sand dunes. And that was exactly what we saw—marine turtles close to the shoreline and one just returning to the water.
Behind the green sandy beach where we landed is a brackish water lagoon where we saw about 20 flamingos. Their bright pink coloring comes from feeding on a very tiny kind of shrimp that contains carotene. Some flamingos were feeding, while others danced in a nice ceremony to attract each other. This year is the mating season, which generally happens every two years. In this lagoon we observed some pintails, stilts, ruddy turnstones, and other migratory birds. It was a wonderful walk.
We returned onboard for breakfast. Later, we went for a Zodiac ride circumnavigating Champion Islet. Here we spotted a very unique kind of mockingbird that is close to extinction. There were just a few Floreana mockingbirds. Efforts are being made to protect them and, in the future, there will be a captive breeding program to restore this rare bird population. At the end of our ride we saw many red-billed tropic birds, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, shearwaters and petrels flying along the coast.
After our mission was accomplished, we came back to our vessel to suit up and get ready for snorkeling. This area is considered one of the best snorkeling spots in Galapagos. Rays, sharks, large concentrations of multicolor fish, sea lions, octopi, and sea stars are found here. Our fearless travelers were fascinated. “It is the best snorkeling of my life!” said one enthusiastic female guest. So, in this happy way, we finished our morning.
Later, in the afternoon, more emotions came. There were many choices for our guests. Some kayaked while others went to the beach. We were lucky because we got to swim with penguins. Others took a short walk to see a very historic place. In 1793, the first post office in South America was set up on Post Office Bay. It was used by pirates, buccaneers, whalers, and the first inhabitants of Floreana. The hand-delivery tradition continues to this day. Visitors will post some letters to their friends and family in a wooden barrel and take some postcards that have addresses near their hometown, which they will hand-deliver when they get back home.
After this fun experience we took Zodiac rides around several rocks and little islets looking for more surprises. Sea lion colonies were found everywhere. The bulls were very active. Cattle egrets rested on red mangrove branches. Great blue herons looked for dinner, as frigates marauded around stealing food. From time to time, marine turtles brought their heads up to the surface to take some air.
Here at the equator the fierce sun sets very quickly, around 6:05 pm we finished our day of exploration filled with adventure and adrenaline. On the sky deck of our ship, we enjoyed the dusk as the first stars in the firmament appeared. Well! It was another day in paradise. For me, as a naturalist guide, it is so nice to work in a big “office” full of surprises.
