A clear sky after sunrise, coupled with light winds, translated into wonderful conditions for an early morning expedition landing craft cruise to explore the island of Bona. Travelers who wanted early light for photography started at 6:45 a.m., and others who wanted a more “civilized” departure explored the island just after 8:00 a.m. The expedition landing craft allowed us close access to the abundant wildlife, which included frigate birds, brown pelicans, blue-footed boobies and brown boobies. Those birds were seen nested on steep rock formations, diving for fish or playing in midair.
Upon returning from Bona, the certified photography instructors and our National Geographic Photo Expert held breakout sessions in the lounge. For the sessions, each instructor worked closely with the passengers who had questions about their cameras and the art of photography. Topics covered included: photographing in manual mode, understanding a histogram, managing/editing photographs in the computer, and addressing any technical issues with their camera functions.
After lunch, Jeff Mauritzen, our National Geographic photo expert gave his first presentation, titled “The Building Blocks of Photography.” The material included detailed instructions on getting proper exposures, as well as using camera settings to get creative images. He even shared images from his time on the expedition landing craft cruise around Bona.
The sun continued to shine in the late afternoon, which made for a splendid journey to Iguana Island. While on the island, travelers had options to snorkel, swim, relax or hike throughout the area. Snorkelers explored a coral reef with sightings of an octopus and an abundance of small fish. The hike brought travelers to pristine beaches with dozens of frigate birds soaring overhead and nested in nearby vegetation. Along the route, we also encountered the island’s iguanas.
The day was enjoyed by all and continued the excitement for our journey.
