Today was a day of transitions. Early in the morning we exited the Orinoco River and headed out to sea. We left behind the muddy brown shallow river and entered the deep blue ocean. We left behind trees, monkeys, and parrots, and searched for the sparse wildlife of the tropical ocean. We wrapped up our thoughts on Venezuela and the Orinoco, and began to think ahead to Guyana and farther south.
After leaving the shoreline, we headed out towards deeper waters and hopefully a bit of wildlife. Many flying fish were spotted and they created quite a photographic challenge. As the pressure wave of the ship approached them, they took “flight” to escape. We had a short window of time to capture images of them, and many of us tried and succeeded.
A few birds came in towards the ship, possibly to eat some of these flying fish. Some terns and a shearwater were seen, and one masked booby used the ship to get a meal. As the fish reacted to us moving through the water, the keen-eyed booby would plunge from high, occasionally grabbing a fish.
Our day ended with a musical transition as well. Our guest musician, Drew Gonsalves, played some excellent Calypso music, which is popular not only in Trinidad but in Guyana as well.
We left behind one great river, the Orinoco, and are heading towards a second. The Essequibo River in Guyana will be our home for the next two days, and I can’t wait to transition back into the world of the tropical river.
