Los Islotes and Bahia Bonanza
The low angle of light shortly after sunrise provided a touch of magic to the Sierra del Mechudo range; however, most of the early risers on deck were not looking at the mountains, but focusing into the water surface trying to get a glimpse of a whale nearby. The whale was not very cooperative and we had trouble trying to identify it to species; the lack of a dorsal fin, possibly eaten away by a killer whale, or the result of an unfortunate encounter with a boat’s propeller, didn’t help. The naturalists expressed opinions, but we couldn’t go farther than lowering the number of options to two: either a small fin whale or a Bryde’s whale. Minutes later, a group of long-beaked common dolphins arrived and followed the Sea Bird on her way to Los Islotes.
I believe that Los Islotes is truly a wonderful place, and after a whole morning exploring it by means of Zodiac cruises or snorkeling, I think that we all agree. As those of us who are brave submarine explorers entered the water, the resident California sea lions gave us their own version of a reception committee; we couldn’t help but marvel at their effortless, three-dimensional antics and playful mood. They were possibly as curious about us as we were of them. They inspected each and every one of us, and some even seemed to express their own opinion about the hairstyle of the occasional Undersea Specialist filming them (see photo).
A great day couldn’t come to an end without more adventures on land, and the desert landscape at Bahía Bonanza on the southern end of Isla Espíritu Santo provided plenty of opportunities for us to admire the beauty and majesty of nature on the islands of the Gulf of California.
As the angle of light lowers again, we still keep on our faces the same smiles that we had this morning.
The low angle of light shortly after sunrise provided a touch of magic to the Sierra del Mechudo range; however, most of the early risers on deck were not looking at the mountains, but focusing into the water surface trying to get a glimpse of a whale nearby. The whale was not very cooperative and we had trouble trying to identify it to species; the lack of a dorsal fin, possibly eaten away by a killer whale, or the result of an unfortunate encounter with a boat’s propeller, didn’t help. The naturalists expressed opinions, but we couldn’t go farther than lowering the number of options to two: either a small fin whale or a Bryde’s whale. Minutes later, a group of long-beaked common dolphins arrived and followed the Sea Bird on her way to Los Islotes.
I believe that Los Islotes is truly a wonderful place, and after a whole morning exploring it by means of Zodiac cruises or snorkeling, I think that we all agree. As those of us who are brave submarine explorers entered the water, the resident California sea lions gave us their own version of a reception committee; we couldn’t help but marvel at their effortless, three-dimensional antics and playful mood. They were possibly as curious about us as we were of them. They inspected each and every one of us, and some even seemed to express their own opinion about the hairstyle of the occasional Undersea Specialist filming them (see photo).
A great day couldn’t come to an end without more adventures on land, and the desert landscape at Bahía Bonanza on the southern end of Isla Espíritu Santo provided plenty of opportunities for us to admire the beauty and majesty of nature on the islands of the Gulf of California.
As the angle of light lowers again, we still keep on our faces the same smiles that we had this morning.
