Pico
This morning the guests of Endeavour set off on an intriguing exploration of the Island of Pico. Pico is the highest point of the Azores; in fact it is the highest mountain in Portugal, rising some 7000 ft above sea level. As Endeavour sailed into the port of Sao Roque this morning, Pico seemed heavenly, as lightening in the distance silhouetted her from behind. The shape of the island makes it most obviously volcanic, sloping upward to make a classic rounded volcanic point holding the ancient crater. The guests embark on buses which take them around the island’s steeply winding roads, through lush vegetation, and impressive views. First stop is in the town of Lajes do Pico, where there is an excellent whaling museum to be visited. Here one can learn about the history of whaling on the island, and begin to appreciate what a dangerous occupation it was, wrestling 40 tons of whale into a small, hand rowed boat. The town of Lajes is also ideal to walk around in, offering all the hospitality and quaintness of a small island. After a breathtaking drive over the mountain road, the guests arrive in Madalena, to the wine and cheese museum. The Azores are famous for their cheese, and many of the islands have their own vintage of wine. At the museum, one can learn about how they made wine in the “old days,” using huge logs and granite blocks to press the grapes, and siphon the wine into barrels for fermentation. All were able to appreciate these unique delicacies first hand at a proper wine and cheese tasting.
Meanwhile, back at the ship, Undersea Specialist, Dennis Cornejo, and myself as dive buddy, set out to explore Pico from under the sea. Armed with a digital video camera, in underwater housing, Dennis films the undersea creatures which live around the Azores, and brings these images back to the guests of Endeavour in the comfort of the lounge. The Azores are a strange mix of underwater ecosystems, although the creatures you find here may be similar to those found in the Mediterranean, the Azores are a series of Volcanic islands, and the underwater landscape is much different from the Mediterranean. The volcanic slopes starting at the top of Pico continue ever downward, not stopping until 3000ft beneath the waves. There are boulders lining the bottom, cast off casually in the volcanic eruptions. These boulders are a great place to make a living if you are a fish. There is algae growing on the rocks that provide food for several of the species of fish found here, and with the little fish feeding on the rocks, it brings the larger fish to feed on the little fish. It is a remarkable site to see this underwater ecosystem at work. Today we had an extraordinary surprise, a sting ray! Lying in about 55 feet of water, this massive creature appeared to be asleep, only the gentle movement of its “wings” gave away that it was breathing. This amazing sea creature quite often burrows down into the sandy bottom of the ocean, looking for food. It is not particular about what it eats, generally crustaceans and mollusks, using its powerful jaws to crush the outer shell, and then digest the insides. This sting ray barely paid attention to us, and after a while decided it was time to move on, taking off like a hovercraft, and flying gracefully away through the deep blue.
We may not have fully explored all that Pico has to offer, as it would take weeks to truly discover the entirety of such a rich and diverse island, but we have sampled this unique island above and below the surface, and loved what we found.
This morning the guests of Endeavour set off on an intriguing exploration of the Island of Pico. Pico is the highest point of the Azores; in fact it is the highest mountain in Portugal, rising some 7000 ft above sea level. As Endeavour sailed into the port of Sao Roque this morning, Pico seemed heavenly, as lightening in the distance silhouetted her from behind. The shape of the island makes it most obviously volcanic, sloping upward to make a classic rounded volcanic point holding the ancient crater. The guests embark on buses which take them around the island’s steeply winding roads, through lush vegetation, and impressive views. First stop is in the town of Lajes do Pico, where there is an excellent whaling museum to be visited. Here one can learn about the history of whaling on the island, and begin to appreciate what a dangerous occupation it was, wrestling 40 tons of whale into a small, hand rowed boat. The town of Lajes is also ideal to walk around in, offering all the hospitality and quaintness of a small island. After a breathtaking drive over the mountain road, the guests arrive in Madalena, to the wine and cheese museum. The Azores are famous for their cheese, and many of the islands have their own vintage of wine. At the museum, one can learn about how they made wine in the “old days,” using huge logs and granite blocks to press the grapes, and siphon the wine into barrels for fermentation. All were able to appreciate these unique delicacies first hand at a proper wine and cheese tasting.
Meanwhile, back at the ship, Undersea Specialist, Dennis Cornejo, and myself as dive buddy, set out to explore Pico from under the sea. Armed with a digital video camera, in underwater housing, Dennis films the undersea creatures which live around the Azores, and brings these images back to the guests of Endeavour in the comfort of the lounge. The Azores are a strange mix of underwater ecosystems, although the creatures you find here may be similar to those found in the Mediterranean, the Azores are a series of Volcanic islands, and the underwater landscape is much different from the Mediterranean. The volcanic slopes starting at the top of Pico continue ever downward, not stopping until 3000ft beneath the waves. There are boulders lining the bottom, cast off casually in the volcanic eruptions. These boulders are a great place to make a living if you are a fish. There is algae growing on the rocks that provide food for several of the species of fish found here, and with the little fish feeding on the rocks, it brings the larger fish to feed on the little fish. It is a remarkable site to see this underwater ecosystem at work. Today we had an extraordinary surprise, a sting ray! Lying in about 55 feet of water, this massive creature appeared to be asleep, only the gentle movement of its “wings” gave away that it was breathing. This amazing sea creature quite often burrows down into the sandy bottom of the ocean, looking for food. It is not particular about what it eats, generally crustaceans and mollusks, using its powerful jaws to crush the outer shell, and then digest the insides. This sting ray barely paid attention to us, and after a while decided it was time to move on, taking off like a hovercraft, and flying gracefully away through the deep blue.
We may not have fully explored all that Pico has to offer, as it would take weeks to truly discover the entirety of such a rich and diverse island, but we have sampled this unique island above and below the surface, and loved what we found.
