Early in the morning our hikers rose with the sun to one of the most graceful scenes on Floreana Island: Punta Cormorant. This place is named not because there are cormorants there, but in honor of a vessel that sank in the area many years ago. Right before midday we snorkeled around Champion Islet, an eroded parasitic cone whose depth reaches more than 150 feet just a few meters away from the coast. Here many vibrant creatures welcomed us to the refreshing waters: sergeant majors, two kinds of damselfish, king angels, razor-blade surgeonfish, bluechin parrotfish, pyramid sea stars, baby sea lions, a sea turtle, and a few whitetip reef sharks.
Lunch was “delicioso.” We finished the day with a visit to the Post Office Barrel (where we delivered some cards and picked up a few), as well as kayaking and paddleboarding around the shorelines of Baroness Viewpoint.
