Dinner is at 7 and at 8 a guide gives a talk-usually illustrated by slides or a film-on what we will see the next day. By 5 o'clock we're on the ship once more. Some days, after the field trip, we swim or snorkel. After an hour or two the ship drops anchor off another island and we're back to shore. The flies can be fierce, especially those that gather around herds of basking sea lions.) At 10:30 or 11, when the equatorial sun begins to get brutal, we return to the Floreana, where a cold Ecuadorian beer tastes wonderful. We spend two or three hours each morning walking along paths near the shore, being introduced to the birds and animals, and examining plants, rock formations and insects. One is a biologist named Stephen Grosvenor, who recently served in the Peace Corps, another a young German zoologist, Dr. The guides are dedicated and knowledgeable. Each has a guide who expounds on the geology, flora and fauna of the island, and who sees to it that his group treats the animals-and the environment-with care. We clamber up sharp lava rocks or wade onto a sandy beach, holding snorkels and cameras head high above the waves. Breakfast is at 6:15, and at 7 the ship drops anchor off one of the islands and we go ashore in a small tender. The ship is woefully deficient in creature comforts, and a squawk box in all the cabins routs out the passengers at 5:45 A.M. The 13 main islands, as well as hundreds of islets and rocks, covering an area about 150 miles in diameter, are now an Ecuadorian national park, insuring that these islands and their denizens will be preserved for future generations to see, study-and wonder at.Ī Floreana cruise is not the restful, luxurious sort of thing to recommend to a dowager great‐aunt. The Galapagos Islands, which lie 600 miles west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, directly on the Equator, are essentially the way they were when Charles Darwin visited them in 1835 and gathered the clues that were to lead to his theory of evolution. From the summit of the craters huge ropes of black lava stretch down to the sea, so raw they seem to have cooled only a week ago. Some are as baleful as moonecapes, their volcanic craters ringed by satellite cones. On every horizon are islands of desolate, primordial beauty. I'm face‐to‐face with eerie, prehistoric‐looking birds that exist nowhere else in the world and are amazingly unafraid of me. I walk among iguanas the size of small dinosaurs. Soon after arriving, I have the feeling I've set it back millions of years. The Annual Super Bowl Splash is held in honor and loving memory of young Paulie Bradley, who passed away at the age of 4 before being able to receive his wish. Through their annual, community-driven Super Bowl Splash, the Long Beach Polar Bears have helped to make hundreds of heartfelt wishes of children with critical illnesses come true.AS the jet‐prop leaves Ecuador's coastal city of Guayaquil for the island of Belira, where a ship is to take me about the Galapagos Islands, I set my watch back one hour. The Polar Bears are motivated by camaraderie, a touch of madness and a common goal: To honor the memory of Paulie Bradley and to keep his young spirit alive in others. Thank you, and we’ll see you on the beach again in 2023!Ĭheck back in late September for information regarding Irish Day 2022!!!įor Post-Swim apparel sales, please see our SHOP NOW page for information.Īs always, thank you for your continued love and support! So from the bottom of our hearts, we send you all our most sincere love and gratitude for helping us to support a cause so near and dear to us all. It is because of all of you that we’re able to continue with our mission to grant as many wishes for local kids as possible. The dedication of everyone involved is inspiring and drives us to make each year bigger and better than the one before. We could never imagine 22 years ago what our humble little swim would turn into today! A Huge Thank You to all the Participants, Teams, Volunteers, and Donors of the 2022 Polar Bear Splash! With your help this year, we’ve raised overĮvery year we’re truly in awe of the amount of generosity and love you all show to our event.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |