Floreana Island
Before breakfast we set out by Zodiac to visit the famous Post Office Bay on Floreana Island. In the sea around the ship there were green sea turtles rising to breathe in the calm waters. We landed on a sandy beach and strolled inland on a short trail through Palo Verde trees to the site of the Post Office Barrel. This is where sailors from whaling ships once left mail to be picked up by other ships heading back to Europe. As modern travelers following in this time-honored tradition, volunteer “carriers” from our group picked up mail deposited in the barrel by other tourists and will deliver those letters or postcards addressed to someone living near their home towns.
The ship repositioned a short distance around Floreana and anchored near a small offshore islet known as Champion. From here we went to explore the rich waters around its shores. Some chose to snorkel, while others enjoyed a drier view from the ship’s glass-bottom boat. There were a great variety of fishes in the waters fringing Champion, white tipped reef sharks, as well as sea lions cavorting beneath the waves. Galapagos shearwaters, swallow-tailed gulls and some Nazca boobies soared, swept and dove from the air above. In the late morning there was an opportunity to cruise around Champion by Zodiac searching for the rare Floreana mockingbird, which has disappeared from the main island of Floreana, but still survives in limited numbers on several of these surrounding offshore islets.
In the early afternoon Photo Specialist Jennifer Davidson presented “Capturing the Human Spirit,” showing lovely photos, and speaking about how to bring the human element into photos. By mid-afternoon there was an opportunity to kayak around Punta Cormorant, and then to go for a leg-stretching walk on the main island of Floreana. We hiked past a large shallow lagoon where flamingos were feeding. The trail led over a low hill to a tranquil white sand beach. In the shallow waters near the beach we sighted perhaps a dozen green sea turtles, many of which were probably females waiting for nightfall before crawling ashore to lay their eggs in the dunes behind the beach. Black lava rocks farther down the beach held many brightly colored Sally Lightfoot crabs being washed by the incoming waves. We hiked back past the lagoon where some groups lingered to watch flamingos in the last light of the day.
As the sun dipped to the horizon the sky turned orange over the hills of Floreana, bringing the end to another magical day in the Galápagos. After dinner we were treated to an intriguing presentation by our Expedition Leader, Paula Tagle, telling us the strange stories of the first inhabitants of Floreana Island.
Before breakfast we set out by Zodiac to visit the famous Post Office Bay on Floreana Island. In the sea around the ship there were green sea turtles rising to breathe in the calm waters. We landed on a sandy beach and strolled inland on a short trail through Palo Verde trees to the site of the Post Office Barrel. This is where sailors from whaling ships once left mail to be picked up by other ships heading back to Europe. As modern travelers following in this time-honored tradition, volunteer “carriers” from our group picked up mail deposited in the barrel by other tourists and will deliver those letters or postcards addressed to someone living near their home towns.
The ship repositioned a short distance around Floreana and anchored near a small offshore islet known as Champion. From here we went to explore the rich waters around its shores. Some chose to snorkel, while others enjoyed a drier view from the ship’s glass-bottom boat. There were a great variety of fishes in the waters fringing Champion, white tipped reef sharks, as well as sea lions cavorting beneath the waves. Galapagos shearwaters, swallow-tailed gulls and some Nazca boobies soared, swept and dove from the air above. In the late morning there was an opportunity to cruise around Champion by Zodiac searching for the rare Floreana mockingbird, which has disappeared from the main island of Floreana, but still survives in limited numbers on several of these surrounding offshore islets.
In the early afternoon Photo Specialist Jennifer Davidson presented “Capturing the Human Spirit,” showing lovely photos, and speaking about how to bring the human element into photos. By mid-afternoon there was an opportunity to kayak around Punta Cormorant, and then to go for a leg-stretching walk on the main island of Floreana. We hiked past a large shallow lagoon where flamingos were feeding. The trail led over a low hill to a tranquil white sand beach. In the shallow waters near the beach we sighted perhaps a dozen green sea turtles, many of which were probably females waiting for nightfall before crawling ashore to lay their eggs in the dunes behind the beach. Black lava rocks farther down the beach held many brightly colored Sally Lightfoot crabs being washed by the incoming waves. We hiked back past the lagoon where some groups lingered to watch flamingos in the last light of the day.
As the sun dipped to the horizon the sky turned orange over the hills of Floreana, bringing the end to another magical day in the Galápagos. After dinner we were treated to an intriguing presentation by our Expedition Leader, Paula Tagle, telling us the strange stories of the first inhabitants of Floreana Island.
