Treasures in your own backyard

A week ago we took visiting friends on Eco-cruise. That was kind of "be a tourist in your own town" thing for us - and what a delight it turned to be. Let the pictures speak for themselves.

Comfortable boat, shown beached at one of the stops:

Enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide (thanks again Brian!):

Picturesque rock formations:

Quite a few of these cuties getting their suntan:

Flocks of birds all around:

Beautiful landscapes (seascapes?) wherever you look:

And even sailing regatta for the dessert:

I could think of zillion ways to spent 2 hours worse than that, and way fewer ways to spend it better!

PS. For gearheads:

1. 70-300 is a delightful lens for this kind of shooting - amazing reach and very lightweight. All the animals and birds above are shot with it. Good light helped keep the apperture around the sharpest for this lens (8-11) while still having decent shutter speed (1/640 - 1/800)

2. The boat vibrates, even if so slightly - keep your Image Stabilization on.