Isla Partida
A blaze of orange licked the clouds at sunrise as if the water itself was aflame. The sea was flat calm, illuminated like molten metal as we cruised south near Isla San Jose. Dorsal fins sliced the surface and within minutes, bottlenose dolphins caught the bow wave. Their muscular gray bodies wove back and forth beneath the humans overhanging the rail. Breakfast finally tore us away, but as we ate, our Expedition Leader announced an incredible sighting. Spinner dolphins surrounded the ship. Although widespread in other areas, this species is extremely unusual in the Gulf of California. The naturalists almost knocked down the guests running to the decks to watch these remarkable animals. Spinner dolphins are named for their habit of launching into the air in spiraling pirouettes, and we were lucky to see some of these fantastically athletic leaps. The dolphins rode the bow wave as you can see in the photo. They sought out the wake waves, and their wet backs glinted in the early morning light. The naturalists dropped a hydrophone into the water so that all could hear the vocalizations that these creatures emitted. It almost sounded like they were laughing at us! Finally we moved on towards another group of dolphins ahead. There was time to inhale the rest of our breakfast before entering an enormous mass of long-beaked common dolphins. These small dolphins are beautifully marked and very active. It was not even 9 o'clock, and we had already encountered three species of marine mammals. Sensory overload was setting in. What an incredible start to our week!
By afternoon we lay at anchor in a sheltered bay known as Ensenada Grande. Hikers headed up a rocky arroyo, either to reach a high overlook or to explore the lower reaches where the Sonoran desert was lush with flowers and greenery. Lizards dashed into the underbrush, and hummingbirds zipped between flowering shrubs near the beach. Snorkelers swam along walls of sculptured volcanic rocks spotting king angels, guineafowl puffers, and damselfish. As sunset approached, all were back on the Sea Lion relaxing after an amazing introduction to this beautiful part of the world.
A blaze of orange licked the clouds at sunrise as if the water itself was aflame. The sea was flat calm, illuminated like molten metal as we cruised south near Isla San Jose. Dorsal fins sliced the surface and within minutes, bottlenose dolphins caught the bow wave. Their muscular gray bodies wove back and forth beneath the humans overhanging the rail. Breakfast finally tore us away, but as we ate, our Expedition Leader announced an incredible sighting. Spinner dolphins surrounded the ship. Although widespread in other areas, this species is extremely unusual in the Gulf of California. The naturalists almost knocked down the guests running to the decks to watch these remarkable animals. Spinner dolphins are named for their habit of launching into the air in spiraling pirouettes, and we were lucky to see some of these fantastically athletic leaps. The dolphins rode the bow wave as you can see in the photo. They sought out the wake waves, and their wet backs glinted in the early morning light. The naturalists dropped a hydrophone into the water so that all could hear the vocalizations that these creatures emitted. It almost sounded like they were laughing at us! Finally we moved on towards another group of dolphins ahead. There was time to inhale the rest of our breakfast before entering an enormous mass of long-beaked common dolphins. These small dolphins are beautifully marked and very active. It was not even 9 o'clock, and we had already encountered three species of marine mammals. Sensory overload was setting in. What an incredible start to our week!
By afternoon we lay at anchor in a sheltered bay known as Ensenada Grande. Hikers headed up a rocky arroyo, either to reach a high overlook or to explore the lower reaches where the Sonoran desert was lush with flowers and greenery. Lizards dashed into the underbrush, and hummingbirds zipped between flowering shrubs near the beach. Snorkelers swam along walls of sculptured volcanic rocks spotting king angels, guineafowl puffers, and damselfish. As sunset approached, all were back on the Sea Lion relaxing after an amazing introduction to this beautiful part of the world.
