Floreana Island

This day has been fantastic! Early in the morning and before breakfast we went out to the famous Post Office Bay. We followed the very old tradition: to pick up and hand deliver messages and postcards without using stamps from the barrel that is located there. Later on the National Geographic Polaris was repositioned to a nearby islet, Champion. We had a marvellous time exploring the exuberance and beauty of the area. Glass bottom boat outings, floating Spa sessions, Zodiac cruises and snorkeling were offered. Snorkeling was highly successful for we encountered many colourful tropical fish and invertebrate species. Swimming with inquisitive Galápagos sea lions is an unforgettable experience. One of the sea lions was observed teasing a passing Pacific green sea turtle; others were zooming in front of us like swift torpedoes while bubbling in our masks.

The afternoon found us anchored at Punta Cormorant where we saw some greater flamingos and several other shorebirds carrying on their lives in a paradisiacal brackish water lagoon. The flamingos were very active today. Some were seen flying around the lagoon while others were eating cheerfully at a very close range. To top the day off a spectacular sunset accompanied us in our way back to the ship. This gorgeous sunset evoked indescribable feelings in their observers and encouraged all of us to keep on loving this unique paradise, the Galápagos!