Isla Carmen and Isla Santa Catalina
From the ship, it was easy to see why this valley had acquired its name. The bright sunlight of early morning reflected the red earthy tones of Arroyo Rojo (red valley). Close by, a species of fish-eating bat, hung precariously, wedged into a tight seam in the sandstone. These bats use their long strong claws to grasp fish from the surface of the water and are endemic to the Sea of Cortez. Tide pools along the shore held an assortment of odd marine creatures that have adapted to the extreme changes of temperature and low levels of water.
The morning air was still somewhat cool as we made our way along the desert floor in search of unique flora and fauna . The endemic chuckwalla lizard lay basking in the sun and allowed us to get quite close before scurrying off to the cool underside of its rocky veranda.
While on our way to Santa Catalina, one of our naturalists enlighted our limited knowledge of marine mammals by giving us a presentation of marine mammals. This helped us to better understand the majestic creatures that we had just seen over the last two days.
And then suddenly all around us, the smooth surface of the sea was disrupted by the acrobatics of the long–beaked common dolphin. Several dolphins propelled their streamlined bodies into the air some five to ten feet before falling back to the surface accompanied by huge splashes. This, along with much tail slapping on the surface, is one of the strategies that this pod had employed to hunt fish. We quickly lowered a Zodiac into the water with our undersea specialist and managed to get close up views of this intriguing mammal.
Sometime in the late afternoon, we had anchored off the very picturesque terrain of Isla Santa Catalina. The cardon and barrel cactus are gigantic here and we looked up in awe as they towered over us. Snorkelers and scuba divers were thrilled by the amount of fish activity just off shore.
The galley crew treated us to a well-deserved barbecue on shore and as we finished off this delicious fare with hot chocolate, we sat silently and watched the sun as it set amidst a sea of pinks and yellow hues. It took only an instant to realize that there is no other place that I would rather be…
From the ship, it was easy to see why this valley had acquired its name. The bright sunlight of early morning reflected the red earthy tones of Arroyo Rojo (red valley). Close by, a species of fish-eating bat, hung precariously, wedged into a tight seam in the sandstone. These bats use their long strong claws to grasp fish from the surface of the water and are endemic to the Sea of Cortez. Tide pools along the shore held an assortment of odd marine creatures that have adapted to the extreme changes of temperature and low levels of water.
The morning air was still somewhat cool as we made our way along the desert floor in search of unique flora and fauna . The endemic chuckwalla lizard lay basking in the sun and allowed us to get quite close before scurrying off to the cool underside of its rocky veranda.
While on our way to Santa Catalina, one of our naturalists enlighted our limited knowledge of marine mammals by giving us a presentation of marine mammals. This helped us to better understand the majestic creatures that we had just seen over the last two days.
And then suddenly all around us, the smooth surface of the sea was disrupted by the acrobatics of the long–beaked common dolphin. Several dolphins propelled their streamlined bodies into the air some five to ten feet before falling back to the surface accompanied by huge splashes. This, along with much tail slapping on the surface, is one of the strategies that this pod had employed to hunt fish. We quickly lowered a Zodiac into the water with our undersea specialist and managed to get close up views of this intriguing mammal.
Sometime in the late afternoon, we had anchored off the very picturesque terrain of Isla Santa Catalina. The cardon and barrel cactus are gigantic here and we looked up in awe as they towered over us. Snorkelers and scuba divers were thrilled by the amount of fish activity just off shore.
The galley crew treated us to a well-deserved barbecue on shore and as we finished off this delicious fare with hot chocolate, we sat silently and watched the sun as it set amidst a sea of pinks and yellow hues. It took only an instant to realize that there is no other place that I would rather be…
