Floreana Island
We had a nice and clear day today. In the morning we prepared all our letters and post cards in order to send them by mail through the traditional "post office" that we have on Floreana Island. A few small black-tipped reef sharks were seen in the shallow water off the beach, and one almost new-born hammerhead! What an incredible sighting, first thing in the morning before breakfast!
Afterwards we sailed to a spectacular place to snorkel called Champion Island. Champion is one of the best spots to snorkel where sharks, turtles, and rays often appear; but here also is where the Galápagos sea lions were waiting for us. It is funny that as soon as we jumped into the water, all the babies and juvenile sea lions jumped in also from the rocks to come and interact with us. All of us loved the company of these amazing creatures swimming and jumping around us.
In the afternoon the kayaks took off along the coast of Pt. Cormorant, Floreana, and saw blue-footed boobies, pelicans and frigate birds resting along the cliff. The rest of us, after Kitty Coley’s presentation on the geology of the Galápagos Islands, took off on foot for a walk looking for flamingoes. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of a few of them, but instead had the great opportunity to see them very close to the trail.
From time to time we had some small reptiles passing in front of us. Those were lava lizards, and these reptiles are very active during this season and even when we are out of the breeding season, the females continue with the attractive red throat color. This is an endemic species for Floreana Island, but the technique of using bright colors is a universal attraction.
We continued our walk and finally arrived to a white sand beach where we saw innumerable nests of the green marine turtle.
We returned on board with memories about Floreana's history and its wild life.
We had a nice and clear day today. In the morning we prepared all our letters and post cards in order to send them by mail through the traditional "post office" that we have on Floreana Island. A few small black-tipped reef sharks were seen in the shallow water off the beach, and one almost new-born hammerhead! What an incredible sighting, first thing in the morning before breakfast!
Afterwards we sailed to a spectacular place to snorkel called Champion Island. Champion is one of the best spots to snorkel where sharks, turtles, and rays often appear; but here also is where the Galápagos sea lions were waiting for us. It is funny that as soon as we jumped into the water, all the babies and juvenile sea lions jumped in also from the rocks to come and interact with us. All of us loved the company of these amazing creatures swimming and jumping around us.
In the afternoon the kayaks took off along the coast of Pt. Cormorant, Floreana, and saw blue-footed boobies, pelicans and frigate birds resting along the cliff. The rest of us, after Kitty Coley’s presentation on the geology of the Galápagos Islands, took off on foot for a walk looking for flamingoes. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of a few of them, but instead had the great opportunity to see them very close to the trail.
From time to time we had some small reptiles passing in front of us. Those were lava lizards, and these reptiles are very active during this season and even when we are out of the breeding season, the females continue with the attractive red throat color. This is an endemic species for Floreana Island, but the technique of using bright colors is a universal attraction.
We continued our walk and finally arrived to a white sand beach where we saw innumerable nests of the green marine turtle.
We returned on board with memories about Floreana's history and its wild life.
