What can be better than a pod of bottlenose dolphins intentionally approaching you and surrounding your ship in an invitation to join them in the water, to play with them, to enjoy the pristine seas? That was the highlight of the day, of the voyage, and probably of the entire month and year, for me and for many of our guests.
Right after sunrise, we started the day by kayaking along the shores of Gardner Bay. It was calm and sunny. The white sand beach made the ocean shine with turquoise hues. The excitement built up our appetite for breakfast. Once onboard, we watched the sea from the dining room, which looks directly to the aft of the ship and into the Pacific.
Later, some of our guests opted to deep-water snorkel around Gardner Islet, and some went directly to the beach. We came back onboard and were about to weigh anchor, and that is when it happened! Dolphins came to us! They did not want us to leave! It was an invitation that we could not refuse, and therefore we joined them. There were dozens of them, and dozens of us, sharing the blue. There are no words to describe the experience.
In the afternoon, we visited the land of the waved albatrosses. They are back! We saw them, so many of them, as they performed landings and takeoffs and engaged in courtships. We also observed female marine iguanas covered by dirt, exhausted and thin. They have been nesting for several weeks now. Noisy Nazca boobies crowded the cliffs with chicks and juveniles. They also engaged in courtship. For Nazca boobies, it is all about opportunistic breeding.
Our Global Explorers had a pizza and movie night, and our guests enjoyed a delicious dinner. I sat and thought back on the day. It could not have been better.
