Floreana Island
We jumped into the Zodiacs this afternoon and caught up with a mighty pod of bottlenose dolphins just behind Devil’s Crown. We were all able to view the capers of these marine mammals as they meandered back and forth in front of us, sometimes only a few inches away. Some of our younger guests were ambitious enough to jump into the ocean to catch a fish’ eye view of these intelligent creatures.
Before that, however, we were to confront the sealions around Champion Island. Armed with our wet suit, fins, mask and snorkel, a quick glimpse underneath told us that we were in for a treat. Not only was the visibility exceptional, but the cool, rich waters were responsible for the millions of bulging carpet sardines and salemas. In turn, they attracted an array of wildlife, including our ever-playful sealions. The most striking predator had to be the blue-footed boobies, who showered into the sea in front of several of us. Fifteen boobies were observed plunging to the bottom on one occasion.
Upon leaving the show and climbing back into the waiting Zodiacs, we couldn’t have wished for anything more than a nice warm drink to help smooth out the goose bumps. Before we could even shiver, our hotel department was serving up mid-oceanic, hot chocolate on a platter (see photo). Like the dolphins, they appeared to be reading our minds.
We jumped into the Zodiacs this afternoon and caught up with a mighty pod of bottlenose dolphins just behind Devil’s Crown. We were all able to view the capers of these marine mammals as they meandered back and forth in front of us, sometimes only a few inches away. Some of our younger guests were ambitious enough to jump into the ocean to catch a fish’ eye view of these intelligent creatures.
Before that, however, we were to confront the sealions around Champion Island. Armed with our wet suit, fins, mask and snorkel, a quick glimpse underneath told us that we were in for a treat. Not only was the visibility exceptional, but the cool, rich waters were responsible for the millions of bulging carpet sardines and salemas. In turn, they attracted an array of wildlife, including our ever-playful sealions. The most striking predator had to be the blue-footed boobies, who showered into the sea in front of several of us. Fifteen boobies were observed plunging to the bottom on one occasion.
Upon leaving the show and climbing back into the waiting Zodiacs, we couldn’t have wished for anything more than a nice warm drink to help smooth out the goose bumps. Before we could even shiver, our hotel department was serving up mid-oceanic, hot chocolate on a platter (see photo). Like the dolphins, they appeared to be reading our minds.
