It is really hard to know where to start the account of this fantastic day. We saw so many amazing creatures!

Early in the morning, our ship dropped anchor at Punta Cormorant, north of Floreana Island. Its peaks looked misty and were shrouded by clouds, but there was blue sky and a beautiful sunshine above us. We landed at a beach that contained large amounts of minute olivine volcanic crystals, which gave it a greenish tinge. We soon realized that a couple of Galapagos penguins were busily hunting in the shallows…what a wonderful surprise! Brown pelicans were also attracted to the same school of little fish, as well as a few blue-footed boobies that dove for it with their typical kamikaze style. The local colony of Galapagos sea lions observed all this commotion on the beach, but decided to carry on sleeping on their favorite rocks.

Behind the beach there is a brackish lagoon. Its waters contain small shrimp which is a favorite of the greater flamingos. Today we were very fortunate to have some of these bright-colored birds flying over the bay giving us the most magnificent display of color. We were definitely at the right place and at the right time!

After breakfast we had more to come: we moved to a different location, anchoring by a small islet called Champion. This is one of the last domains of the endemic Floreana mockingbird, with a population reduced to just a few hundred it remains protected here from introduced predators. We had a chance to find it as we went on a Zodiac ride to explore Champion. Not only did we find this elusive little bird, but many more species too, from dozens of Galapagos sea lions of various ages and sizes, to red-billed tropic birds, frigates, brown noddies and Galapagos shearwaters. We quickly returned back on board to change into our wetsuits and snorkeling gear in order to explore Champion’s amazing underwater world, one of the best in the islands.

After all of these morning activities, lunch was well-deserved. However, what should have been siesta time could not be, as a report came from the bridge announcing that a blue whale had been spotted near the ship. This is the largest creature ever to have lived on earth, and their worldwide population has been greatly reduced so this was a once in a lifetime event!

The daily program had to continue with normality in the afternoon, and we disembarked in nearby Post Office Bay. This is a historical place, where a young naturalist called Charles Darwin once disembarked. In 1793 a barrel was placed here to become the only communication link between whalers and their families back in their original countries. This tradition is continued by the many visitors who come to this place and take a postcard with them to hand deliver once they’re home. And just like many before us, we left our postcards in the barrel, with the hope that someone might take them and deliver to the addressees.

Later on, we took our Zodiacs to nearby La Loberia, a small group of rocks and shallow turquoise waters. Our resident species of turtle, the pacific green, comes to this area to forage on the abundant seaweed and also to recover from their long travels. A couple of penguins made an appearance too, as well as a few spotted eagle rays. Seeing Galapagos sea lions resting under the prickly pear trees was both bizarre and beautiful. What an amazing place this is, and what an unbelievable day this has been!