Floreana Island
Nothing could have been better than to start our day in the way we did it today! This was an early pre-breakfast outing to a historical place at Floreana: the legendary Post Office Barrel. After getting to know from the Naturalist what was this all about, we left our postcards and took some back to their destinations, promising to follow the ancient tradition of “hand delivering” just as it was done in the past. Just to continued with the fun, we kept Zodiac cruising in a near by area where the charming sea lions gave us an especial show with their swimming skills. Even better, some of the common creatures of the area were well observed such as sea turtles grazing on sea weeds in the shallow waters and the famous blue-footed boobies, which were plunging into the water to get perhaps their first catch of the morning.
Later on after a delicious breakfast, we went for our second outing of the morning. This time we headed to Champion Island and snorkeled off its turquoise water coast. It turned out to be a great outing, probably better than any other snorkeling that we had done so far (and that tells a lot, considering the place where we all are!) The biodiversity around the rocky reefs of the island was stunning, as you could see fish of all sizes and colors as well as sea turtles, sea lions, sharks, different types of rays and a couple of sightings of the bizarre stone scorpion fish.
Right after our snorkeling we were supposed to continue with a Zodiac ride to observe the birds that nest along the cliff section of Champion, however I think we were all awarded by Mother Nature with the sighting of a Humpback whale. After such a nice morning, this was like the icing on the cake! The whale happened to be a female Humpback traveling with her calf, and because it is at the present moment Humpback season in the waters off mainland Ecuador, it would probably stay around for some time before they start their incredible journey to the icy waters of Antarctica.
We were all in high spirits after such a terrific morning, but the fun did not end there. It was later in the afternoon when we joined activities such as kayaking, snorkeling and a very relaxing hike in one of the best places for bird watching at Floreana, Punta Cormorant.
We returned to the ship to share each other highlights, and why not, maybe a cool drink in the nice bar of our home, the MS Islander!
Nothing could have been better than to start our day in the way we did it today! This was an early pre-breakfast outing to a historical place at Floreana: the legendary Post Office Barrel. After getting to know from the Naturalist what was this all about, we left our postcards and took some back to their destinations, promising to follow the ancient tradition of “hand delivering” just as it was done in the past. Just to continued with the fun, we kept Zodiac cruising in a near by area where the charming sea lions gave us an especial show with their swimming skills. Even better, some of the common creatures of the area were well observed such as sea turtles grazing on sea weeds in the shallow waters and the famous blue-footed boobies, which were plunging into the water to get perhaps their first catch of the morning.
Later on after a delicious breakfast, we went for our second outing of the morning. This time we headed to Champion Island and snorkeled off its turquoise water coast. It turned out to be a great outing, probably better than any other snorkeling that we had done so far (and that tells a lot, considering the place where we all are!) The biodiversity around the rocky reefs of the island was stunning, as you could see fish of all sizes and colors as well as sea turtles, sea lions, sharks, different types of rays and a couple of sightings of the bizarre stone scorpion fish.
Right after our snorkeling we were supposed to continue with a Zodiac ride to observe the birds that nest along the cliff section of Champion, however I think we were all awarded by Mother Nature with the sighting of a Humpback whale. After such a nice morning, this was like the icing on the cake! The whale happened to be a female Humpback traveling with her calf, and because it is at the present moment Humpback season in the waters off mainland Ecuador, it would probably stay around for some time before they start their incredible journey to the icy waters of Antarctica.
We were all in high spirits after such a terrific morning, but the fun did not end there. It was later in the afternoon when we joined activities such as kayaking, snorkeling and a very relaxing hike in one of the best places for bird watching at Floreana, Punta Cormorant.
We returned to the ship to share each other highlights, and why not, maybe a cool drink in the nice bar of our home, the MS Islander!
