Today we moved south of San Cristobal, to Floreana Island. Floreana is unique for many reasons. One being that this island is rich with human history. It was colonized in the late 1700s by Paul Watkins and later by a series of unique characters that are today remembered as part of a rich history that reflects the difficulties early settlers faced due to the isolation of the islands.
Before 7 a.m. we landed at Punta Cormorant, a beautiful sandy beach with fragments of olivine, a semi- precious stone, which gives this area its unique coloration. A brackish lagoon here harbors a small group of flamingos. These coastal birds originated in Central America and settled on the island. Today there is a population of no more than five hundred individuals who move between islands seeking the right conditions to thrive.
At about 10 a.m. we visited Champion Island, a satellite island in front of Floreana that still harbors a small population of the Floreana mockingbird. We spotted at least three adults of this elusive bird species. Later, we snorkeled around Champion with a bunch of sea lions and also saw a variety of tropical fish.
In the afternoon we moved to Post Office Bay, a historical place and one of the oldest mailing systems in South America, and the world.
