Isla Danzante
After a blissfully quiet night at anchor, we heaved anchor just before dawn this morning, setting out to explore another of the beautiful islands in the Bahía Loreto Marine Park. A few earlybirds watched the light of the rising sun illuminate the peaks and canyons of the Sierra de la Giganta, as we rounded the north end of Isla Danzante. This rugged island is a prime destination for kayakers, and afforded us many options for exploring.
After breakfast, some chose to brave the breeze, setting out in kayaks and sailing downwind along the shoreline. It was the upwind paddle back to the landing that burned plenty of calories and led to late-morning lounging on the sun deck. Many chose to explore by Zodiac instead, finding spotted sandpipers bobbing at the water’s edge and soaring ospreys overhead. Colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs crawled everywhere in the splash zone. Huge schools of small fish occasionally broke the water’s surface, prompting a frenzy of feeding activity, known locally as a “bochinche”. Brown pelicans and blue-footed boobies dove right into the bait ball, while Heermann’s and yellow-footed gulls eagerly skimmed the surface.
We remained at anchor through the day, and spent our afternoon snorkeling in cool, clear water, wandering the rocky beach, and climbing up to the ridgeline for some mid-afternoon photography. Danzante is a steep, but narrow island, and the views from the ridges are astounding. Looking to the west, photographers captured the broad panorama of hikers in the foreground and the Sea Lion resting at anchor in the distance. An intrepid photographer knelt for the perfect shot of the dramatic northern tip of the island.
Late in the afternoon, some clouds moved in and made for a long, dramatic sunset. Crepuscular rays beamed through their shifting masses, drawing us out on deck for more photos, or just to witness. Finally the sun dropped behind the Sierra, the air temperature cooled and we headed below for conversation and dinner and to hear plans for another day.
After a blissfully quiet night at anchor, we heaved anchor just before dawn this morning, setting out to explore another of the beautiful islands in the Bahía Loreto Marine Park. A few earlybirds watched the light of the rising sun illuminate the peaks and canyons of the Sierra de la Giganta, as we rounded the north end of Isla Danzante. This rugged island is a prime destination for kayakers, and afforded us many options for exploring.
After breakfast, some chose to brave the breeze, setting out in kayaks and sailing downwind along the shoreline. It was the upwind paddle back to the landing that burned plenty of calories and led to late-morning lounging on the sun deck. Many chose to explore by Zodiac instead, finding spotted sandpipers bobbing at the water’s edge and soaring ospreys overhead. Colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs crawled everywhere in the splash zone. Huge schools of small fish occasionally broke the water’s surface, prompting a frenzy of feeding activity, known locally as a “bochinche”. Brown pelicans and blue-footed boobies dove right into the bait ball, while Heermann’s and yellow-footed gulls eagerly skimmed the surface.
We remained at anchor through the day, and spent our afternoon snorkeling in cool, clear water, wandering the rocky beach, and climbing up to the ridgeline for some mid-afternoon photography. Danzante is a steep, but narrow island, and the views from the ridges are astounding. Looking to the west, photographers captured the broad panorama of hikers in the foreground and the Sea Lion resting at anchor in the distance. An intrepid photographer knelt for the perfect shot of the dramatic northern tip of the island.
Late in the afternoon, some clouds moved in and made for a long, dramatic sunset. Crepuscular rays beamed through their shifting masses, drawing us out on deck for more photos, or just to witness. Finally the sun dropped behind the Sierra, the air temperature cooled and we headed below for conversation and dinner and to hear plans for another day.
