Today we visited the island of Floreana. This was the first island to be inhabited by Ecuadorians and the first to receive species which are alien to this environment, changing it forever. The previous day we had an explosion of wildlife, but today the history of this location and the views were the highlights.

During the morning we landed on a place called Cormorant Point. Here an olivine beach awaited us full of sea lions taking advantage of the space left by the low tide. There was also a colony of blue footed boobies that are finishing their breeding season for the year. Behind the landing site there was a lagoon with a couple of flamingos feeding on microscopic crustaceans providing them their nutrients and color. At the end of the trail we visited a white coralline beach which is an important nesting site for sea turtles. We just missed a female who had returned to the ocean after digging out a nest.

Later we returned to the National Geographic Islander and sailed to the second location of the day, Champion Islet. At this location we used the Zodiacs to explore the coast and the animals that rest there, like sea lions and seabirds. We also looked for the very elusive Floreana mockingbird. Then we came back to change and get ready to snorkel. From the moment we entered the water, thousands of tropical fish like angels, parrots, damsels and even sharks showed up. And as we are right in the season for sea lions to give birth, a couple of pups came to check and see what we were doing.

Later we navigated for the last time for the day to the famous Post Office Bay. Whaling ships used this island and this very location for hunting these magnificent animals. They also needed communication with their relatives, so they established a mail system which is still used. For the first time in the voyage we took kayaks to explore some sites in the bay and we found stingrays, sharks and sea turtles. After a quick visit to the famous mailbox we returned to the ship where the bar was set up on the sky deck to enjoy the sunset.

Tomorrow will be very different and we cannot wait to see what is in store.