05-Jan-2010 --
That was our second expedition to the S33W053 confluence. Last year we had surrounded the whole lagoon, looking for a piece of land or shallow water to get closer to the target. We tried to use an inflatable boat, but the swampy margin was too wide and there was not enough water to make the way through all that vegetation.
The confluence is located in the middle of a chain of lagoons connected, 10 miles at north, to the big “Lagoa Mirim”, more than a 100 miles long and 20 miles wide.
These year, on January 5, during our vacations, there was more water in the lagoons and we decide to row a kayak, better to cross the floating vegetation. We reached the southeast margin, about 3 miles of the confluence, by car, on a sandy road, between the rice fields. After that we pulled our kayak on the grass for about 400 meters until a water channel used to send water from the lagoon to the rice fields. After a half mile inside the channel we reached the lagoon and proceed in our route drawn with the aid of satellite images, unfortunately captured in a time of shallower water.
All the lagoon area is considered a wildlife sanctuary and has several bird nesting. During our way we saw Coscoroba coscoroba, Cygnus melancoyphus, Chauna torquata and others. Between the mammals there were Myocastor coypus and Hydrochoereus hydrochoereus. Exactly at the confluence point, the lagoon was clear of vegetation and 4 or 5 feet deep, the day was sunny and we were happy with the successful visit.