Los Islotes and Punta Dispensa, Isla Espiritu Santo
Slide, splash!
vrrooomm
Twirl, spin, glide, leap!
Splash! Whoosh, veer, twirl…
This morning we anchored off Los Islotes, a popular haul-out for California sea lions. Perhaps they should be called sea puppies. The juvenile males were frisky and playful as pups. What graceful underwater acrobatics! They wove us into their magical carpet ride, twirling and charging and veering and spiraling and splashing all around us. For all of us visiting from the National Geographic Sea Bird, the sea lions put on quite a show with their silly, curious antics.
Some of us braved the refreshing 60+ degree water with snorkels and fins to have a more personal interaction with these aquatic creatures, while others took Zodiac cruises around the islets. Our undersea specialist and deckhand donned scuba gear and went deeper for a look at life beneath the upper surface. The air show was also entertaining… frigatebirds, pelicans, brown and blue-footed boobies all frequent Los Islotes as a resting place.
We spent the rest of the day anchored off Punta Dispensa, a southwest scallop of Isla Espiritu Santo. Oh glorious beach day! Bright warm sunshine, clear blue skies, calm clear turquoise/aqua water, sands of various textures from silk to grainy to rocky, shells and bones and leavings of animals, desert scrubs and bushes and cacti, and mountains beyond. We walked and swam and kayaked and beachcombed and sat daydreaming and soaking up the mesmerizing beauty of Baja California Sur. And then, as if someone found a bottle with a magic genie, the crew began to bring all the fixin’s for a scrumptious beach BBQ. Ay caramba -it was delicious! After dinner a fire was built, and one of our naturalists told a Mexican tale, and then out came the marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers for s’mores.
As the light waned from the sun, the night sky put on its own light show. First the planets of Venus and Jupiter, and then one by ten by hundreds, stars! With the new moon tomorrow, there was no competition. We walked a little ways from the fire and the sky was an explosion of constellations and the clear smear of our Milky Way galaxy. To top it off, the ride home to the ship stirred millions of bioluminescent creatures, beautiful green-lit jewels riding alongside the Zodiacs.
Did I forget to mention the Bryde’s whale this morning off the bow before breakfast? And a couple of humpback whales? And the pod of common dolphins swimming hurriedly in the other direction right after lunch? Yes it was a magnificent day here in the Sea of Cortez, and yet, amazingly, just another day in Baja California Sur. At this writing we have pulled anchor and are heading south towards the tip of the peninsula. Dolces Suenos!
