Floreana 2: Kayaks & Nesting Sea Turtles

While on Floreana island, we were able to take kayaks out from the beach and paddle through coves and fingers of old volcanic flows in the calm, clear turquoise waters.

Toward the end of the day, we landed at a beach to take a trail to another part of the island to a sea turtle nesting beach. Pelicans were diving in force, and the near-shore waters were plentiful with sting rays (good idea not to motor up and step out into the breakers!).

Our small group was very fortunate to arrive just as a turtle was finishing laying her eggs (up to 80 of them), and then working to clamber out of her nest to get back to sea. It looked like a lot of work, but at least she didn’t need to head back up a mountain like the mama tortoises.

On the walk back to the panga launching site, we came across another group of flamingos feeding in a brackish lagoon. Getting into the pangas was trickier than when we arrived, as some pretty good breakers got us all a little wetter than usual.

Arriving back to our ship, the crew on board pointed out all the sharks in the water around us. The boat has a small dock, so no worries for us. We were a little concerned for the large sea lion that was alone amidst the sharks. We don’t know if it was old and sick, but it didn’t seem in immediate danger. This impressive group of sharks circled around for hours, even past dark, when we got some better photos by the light of the ship. We heard later that the kitchen had tossed some food scraps into the water (one last show for us?).

This was an amazing trip, with such great guides and crew, impeccably presented meals, and really comfortable accommodations. The other passengers were friendly and had an adventurous spirit, and it was fun to take yet another trip with Nance & Sande. We will miss the sea lions, but are ready for our trip home tomorrow. Thanks for joining us!Read more