Isla Santa Catalina, Loreto Bay National Park
Throughout the night the National Geographic Sea Bird traveled north over the calm sea to reach several scattered islands adjacent to the escarpment of the Sierra de la Giganta. This scenic area is within Loreto Bay National Park. At dawn, noisy Heermann’s gulls flew past, silhouetted against a sky ablaze with brilliant orange clouds of sunrise.
Splashing bottlenose dolphins ruffled the surface a short distance ahead, and before long they surrounded us. We guessed that about 200 animals formed this group of leaping, exhilarating creatures. By hanging over the rail in the very front of the ship, one could peer down at the sleek gray bodies of bow riders, the dolphins that take advantage of a free ride from the pressure wave that forms as the ship pushes forward through the sea.
Throughout the morning, we continued our search for marine life. Now and then seabirds flew past singly or in loose flocks. Then we noticed a feeding frenzy attracted to a school of unlucky fish. Brown pelicans, Heermann’s and yellow-footed gulls, cormorants, brown and blue-footed boobies, along with three species of shearwater all convened and descended upon their prey. How exciting to watch these screaming, wheeling birds so close to their namesake, the National Geographic Sea Bird!
After a presentation on whales, the ship slowed and then idled while officers lowered scientific instruments to obtain data at a pre-determined site for a scientific experiment involving oxygen levels within the Sea of Cortez. This project is under the supervision of Dr. William Gilly through Stanford University and is being supported by the National Geographic Society. A decrease in oxygen is being observed over time and may be related to global climate change. A net bag was dropped to depth as well. This contained Styrofoam cups decorated by guests who chose to participate. Under pressure, the cups shrink to espresso-sized miniatures of the originals. Once the equipment was back on deck, the ship moved on towards its anchorage.
The entire afternoon was dedicated to exploration of Isla Santa Catalina where we could snorkel in the clear water as well as hike into the desert. Snorkelers found that the rocky shoreline provided a variety of habitats for interesting invertebrates and colorful fish. Urchins and their relatives, the sea stars, clung to the bottom. Yellow-tailed surgeonfish and Pacific creolefish patrolled in schools, while the solitary porcupinefish sculled slowly on their way.
Hikers scrambled up a shoreline of rounded granitic cobbles to reach a sandy wash, or arroyo, flanked by fascinating desert vegetation. Tall columns of cardon cacti towered above the other plants. The endemic giant barrel, a fat, single-trunked cactus, is of particular interest, because it occurs only here and a couple of nearby islands. Against the backdrop of the drought-tolerant cacti and woody shrubs grew tiny, delicate lupines with lavender flowers only a few inches above the ground. One group of adventurers strode off at a fast clip to climb to the crest of the island for a dramatic vista on the far side. Others took their time to wander, photograph and examine things in more detail.
By dusk all had returned to gather in the lounge for snacks and cocktail hour. It was a time to relax, listen to recap and share stories about our first full day together on our voyage.
