Floreana Island
The morning found us in calm waters just north of Floreana Island. Just after dawn we disembarked onto a “green” sand beach. The color can only really be seen when inspected closely, and it comes from tiny crystals of olivine mixed with tuffstone fragments. The trail is easy, and borders a brackish-water lagoon which this morning had a few flamingos on the far side, just barely visible in the distance. On the white, coraline beach on the other side of the point was seen one set of marine turtle tracks…and plenty of hatchling tracks! Last night seems to have a busy one!
While the walkers were exploring the land, the Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) was being taken out for a spin, descending 135 feet and filming turtles and tunas! Our undersea specialist, Jonathan Aguas, “flew” the camera over white, coraline bottom and through blue, clear sea.
After breakfast the ship repositioned to Champion Islet where the Zodiacs and glass-bottomed boat were all put to good use…the underwater world was at its best…sea lions, angelfish, grunts, creolefish and many more.
The Floreana mockingbird was a goal of many of us on a Zodiac ride around the islet as well…one of the most endangered birds of the Galápagos, they live on two satellite islands off the coast of Floreana, where introduced cats and rats can’t reach them. Floreana is the focus of a restoration campaign that hopes to take care of these problems soon, before its too late.
The afternoon was spent with kayak rounds, Zodiac rounds, lava tube explorations and visits to the famous Post Office Barrel. Quite a few postcards found folks to deliver them to their destination, and in turn many were left, in hopes they, too, will be delivered one day in the near future.
By sunset we were all on board in time to enjoy a wonderful sunset as the ship set sail north, towards more adventures.
