Floreana Island
The day began early for some of us; the ocean was like a mirror as we boarded the Zodiacs for a visit to Post Office Bay. We sorted through post cards, left some of our own and then took a panga ride among some tiny islets called “Loberia.” Here on the white beaches and lava rocks lazy sea lions were lounging while others swam in the peaceful turquoise sea. Sea turtles and the tiny Galápagos penguins were also seen.
This morning’s deep water snorkel outing off Champion Islet to the east of Floreana was fabulous! The combination of bright sun and clear water provided us with excellent visibility. There were huge schools of angle fish, Moorish idols, and best of all, several jubilant young sea lions which spun and twirled among us as we swam along.
On Zodiac rides around Champion we spotted the Floreana mockingbird and spent some time trying to photograph the gorgeous red-billed tropic birds that fluttered over head, swooping in and out of their nesting holes in the cliffs and displaying in small groups of two and three. In a sheltered bay a gang of sea lion teenagers entertained us as they swam and splashed in the shallows.
The afternoon walk was relaxing and beautiful. We landed on a greenish beach made of tuff sand and olivine crystals and hiked to a small brackish lagoon where brilliant pink flamingos were feeding. As you can see from today’s picture, some of us had an extremely close encounter with these lovely birds. They were as curious and appreciative of us, as we were of them!
The day began early for some of us; the ocean was like a mirror as we boarded the Zodiacs for a visit to Post Office Bay. We sorted through post cards, left some of our own and then took a panga ride among some tiny islets called “Loberia.” Here on the white beaches and lava rocks lazy sea lions were lounging while others swam in the peaceful turquoise sea. Sea turtles and the tiny Galápagos penguins were also seen.
This morning’s deep water snorkel outing off Champion Islet to the east of Floreana was fabulous! The combination of bright sun and clear water provided us with excellent visibility. There were huge schools of angle fish, Moorish idols, and best of all, several jubilant young sea lions which spun and twirled among us as we swam along.
On Zodiac rides around Champion we spotted the Floreana mockingbird and spent some time trying to photograph the gorgeous red-billed tropic birds that fluttered over head, swooping in and out of their nesting holes in the cliffs and displaying in small groups of two and three. In a sheltered bay a gang of sea lion teenagers entertained us as they swam and splashed in the shallows.
The afternoon walk was relaxing and beautiful. We landed on a greenish beach made of tuff sand and olivine crystals and hiked to a small brackish lagoon where brilliant pink flamingos were feeding. As you can see from today’s picture, some of us had an extremely close encounter with these lovely birds. They were as curious and appreciative of us, as we were of them!
