Isla Angel de la Guardia
Sunrise greeted the Sea Voyager off the northeast coast of Angel de la Guardia as we neared our remote destination of Puerto Refugio, a protected area of sculpted bays, grassy hillsides, wheeling seabirds and islets of fantastic shapes. Puerto Refugio is on the northernmost tip of the Island of the Guardian Angel, the second largest island in the Sea of Cortes.
Our time in this special place was well spent by sampling nearly every activity imaginable… One group walked down the beach to visit tide pools where Mike found a swimming crab devouring a Humboldt squid and a myriad of other wondrous creatures, while William hiked into the desert to view the pink blossoms of the elephant trees as well as the delicate white flowers of the wild cucumber. Steve strolled in another direction down the beach, searching for and interpreting the tracks of the American oystercatcher, the great blue heron, the osprey and much more.
Those who chose kayaking as their first adventure of the day were rewarded with calm clear turquoise water to dip their paddles into, and many picturesque rocky islets and small bays to explore. Mid-morning, when the land was heating up, we gathered together again and this time deployed our Zodiacs to support some underwater discovery. Both SCUBA divers and snorkelers headed across the bay to Isla Granita where a colony of California sea lions were considering a cool morning swim. We believe that the prospect of joining some friendly humans in a watery romp is what convinced them to slide off their warm rocks and play. Those of you familiar with sea lions know how enchanting their underwater ballet is, and today’s experience was beautiful.
On some nearby rocks, we noticed a few exciting new arrivals here in Puerto Refugio – the California sea lion pupping season has begun! These newly birthed and already active offspring were born in just the last few days. Several of these very endearing small animals were trying to wriggle away from their attentive mothers.
After such an active morning, a quiet afternoon of cruising the Canal de Ballenas, Steve’s talk on marine mammals and a late stop in the small enclosed bay of Puerto Don Juan was the perfect end to a day of wonder here in Baja California.
Sunrise greeted the Sea Voyager off the northeast coast of Angel de la Guardia as we neared our remote destination of Puerto Refugio, a protected area of sculpted bays, grassy hillsides, wheeling seabirds and islets of fantastic shapes. Puerto Refugio is on the northernmost tip of the Island of the Guardian Angel, the second largest island in the Sea of Cortes.
Our time in this special place was well spent by sampling nearly every activity imaginable… One group walked down the beach to visit tide pools where Mike found a swimming crab devouring a Humboldt squid and a myriad of other wondrous creatures, while William hiked into the desert to view the pink blossoms of the elephant trees as well as the delicate white flowers of the wild cucumber. Steve strolled in another direction down the beach, searching for and interpreting the tracks of the American oystercatcher, the great blue heron, the osprey and much more.
Those who chose kayaking as their first adventure of the day were rewarded with calm clear turquoise water to dip their paddles into, and many picturesque rocky islets and small bays to explore. Mid-morning, when the land was heating up, we gathered together again and this time deployed our Zodiacs to support some underwater discovery. Both SCUBA divers and snorkelers headed across the bay to Isla Granita where a colony of California sea lions were considering a cool morning swim. We believe that the prospect of joining some friendly humans in a watery romp is what convinced them to slide off their warm rocks and play. Those of you familiar with sea lions know how enchanting their underwater ballet is, and today’s experience was beautiful.
On some nearby rocks, we noticed a few exciting new arrivals here in Puerto Refugio – the California sea lion pupping season has begun! These newly birthed and already active offspring were born in just the last few days. Several of these very endearing small animals were trying to wriggle away from their attentive mothers.
After such an active morning, a quiet afternoon of cruising the Canal de Ballenas, Steve’s talk on marine mammals and a late stop in the small enclosed bay of Puerto Don Juan was the perfect end to a day of wonder here in Baja California.
