Like a siren’s song, Henderson Island’s wind-swept sand beaches, swaths of verdant forest, and towering limestone cliffs beckoned us to explore, but the ocean’s tumultuous waves held us firmly at bay. We had hoped to be able to possibly land by Zodiac, or at least to lower our snorkeling platform from which we could peer at her coral-laden flanks beneath the waves. Yet the powerful, heaving ocean swells and wind-whipped waves made folly of any such ideas. So we sailed along her leeward side as the morning sun lit the bursting waves dashing high against the cliffs.
Offshore we found ample delight in the myriad numbers of tropical seabirds returning upwind to their island home. Great frigatebirds rode on the updrafts of wind around the ship. White terns passed by, many carrying a single fish to feed their lone chick waiting onshore. Petrels of various species were arcing into the steady trade winds as they crossed our bow. Eventually a small gang of immature red-footed boobies were hovering overhead, taking turns toying with grabbing the tips of the ship’s antennas with their beaks. If these young boobies were hatched and fledged here at Henderson Island only months ago, it’s quite possible that we are one of few ships these young birds have so far encountered in their lives at this wild and seldom-visited part of the Pacific Ocean.
We continued eastward toward Ducie Island, our final destination in the Pitcairn Group. Along the way, we were entertained by Rikki Swenson giving a fun and inspiring presentation titled, “Thinking Out-of-the-Shoebox: Creative Ideas for Sharing Your Photos.” After lunch, undersea specialist Mike Greenfelder spoke about and showed images of the top ten different types of reef fishes. The final presentation in the late afternoon was “In Search of the Sacred: From the Summit of Everest to the ruins of Angkor Wat” with stunning photos and video footage by National Geographic photographer Chris Rainier.
As we continued crossing the many miles of open ocean separating distant “neighboring” islands, in our minds we could gaze behind us at Henderson. We each held our own hopes for getting to this wild and mysterious island. Yet Henderson remains little known—forbidden in her way—with no welcoming harbor, no easy path ashore, her reefs and imposing cliffs continually guarding her secrets from many of the very few who ever venture here to try.
