Floreana Island
Today began with an early morning outing to visit the famous Post Office Barrel on Floreana Island. Postcards to family and friends were written and ready to go as we departed for the landing site where whalers and mariners first developed this unusual postal system. Carrying on with their early tradition, we left cards here in an old barrel to eventually be transported to final destinations by other travelers returning home. Similarly, we gathered any mail found there that was destined for our home ports or towns. All to be delivered by hand, without modern postage.
During breakfast the ship repositioned a few miles to the small island of Champion, just offshore from Floreana. Snorkelers headed out for a fantastic outing in the waters around Champion. Those who did the longer “drift snorkel” saw constellations of fish in the blue waters on the island’s windward side where the rocky ledges drop steeply into the sea. Schools of colorful King Angelfish swarmed here. In the shallower waters at the far end of the island, all of the snorkelers eventually gathered to watch sea lions twisting and turning in playful antics around us.
The afternoon held many more unexpected delights. There was a chance to kayak along Floreana’s rocky shores, or amble on a beach to watch pelicans, sea lions and other creatures. Eventually we all gathered to hike inland on this magical island from an area known as Punta Cormorant, though no cormorants are found here. Just inland from the beach there was an expansive lagoon, murky pink in color, that is frequented by flamingos. There was an immature flamingo sleeping on one leg at the lagoon edge beside the trail, while adults with richer pink hue were feeding a bit farther offshore. The trail led to a more distant white sand beach where we watched dozens of stingrays in the shallows, and green sea turtles lolling just beyond the waves. Farther down the beach an outcropping of black lava rock was dotted with bright red Sally Lightfoot crabs perched at the edge of the surf zone. As the daylight dwindled, reluctantly we headed back to the landing site to ride Zodiacs back to our ship waiting offshore.
Today began with an early morning outing to visit the famous Post Office Barrel on Floreana Island. Postcards to family and friends were written and ready to go as we departed for the landing site where whalers and mariners first developed this unusual postal system. Carrying on with their early tradition, we left cards here in an old barrel to eventually be transported to final destinations by other travelers returning home. Similarly, we gathered any mail found there that was destined for our home ports or towns. All to be delivered by hand, without modern postage.
During breakfast the ship repositioned a few miles to the small island of Champion, just offshore from Floreana. Snorkelers headed out for a fantastic outing in the waters around Champion. Those who did the longer “drift snorkel” saw constellations of fish in the blue waters on the island’s windward side where the rocky ledges drop steeply into the sea. Schools of colorful King Angelfish swarmed here. In the shallower waters at the far end of the island, all of the snorkelers eventually gathered to watch sea lions twisting and turning in playful antics around us.
The afternoon held many more unexpected delights. There was a chance to kayak along Floreana’s rocky shores, or amble on a beach to watch pelicans, sea lions and other creatures. Eventually we all gathered to hike inland on this magical island from an area known as Punta Cormorant, though no cormorants are found here. Just inland from the beach there was an expansive lagoon, murky pink in color, that is frequented by flamingos. There was an immature flamingo sleeping on one leg at the lagoon edge beside the trail, while adults with richer pink hue were feeding a bit farther offshore. The trail led to a more distant white sand beach where we watched dozens of stingrays in the shallows, and green sea turtles lolling just beyond the waves. Farther down the beach an outcropping of black lava rock was dotted with bright red Sally Lightfoot crabs perched at the edge of the surf zone. As the daylight dwindled, reluctantly we headed back to the landing site to ride Zodiacs back to our ship waiting offshore.
