Isla San Marcos, Baja California, México
We awoke this morning to a gorgeous sunrise and breaching Mobula rays as we approached Isla San Marcos, our island to explore for the morning. While some of us paddled the shoreline by kayak, most of us ventured up an arroyo to explore the lush vegetation in a narrow canyon. Many flowers were still lingering from the winter rains including passion vine, cotton, and malva. The stunning red volcanic rocks made a beautiful setting for the “garden-like” groupings of cactus and desert plants.
We then all moved to a nearby beach for our morning snorkeling adventure. Entering the water through a cave filled with lazing grunts and nesting sergeant majors, we admired the sea fan covered walls and the myriad of invertebrates. Schools of goatfish and parrotfish encircled us as we were entranced by the colors of the King Angelfish.
After lunch, we set sail towards Isla Tortuga, but never made it! Our vigilant bow watchers picked out a hammerhead shark cruising on the surface, and then we were surrounded by blows. Sperm whales encircled the ship and we were again rewarded with amazing views of these largest of the toothed whales. Many different groups were observed as they surfaced to recharge their oxygen, and one was even spotted with a 3 foot squid in its jaws. A Zodiac was lowered and I headed out to try and get some underwater video of these leviathans. I was lucky enough to have numerous views of single adults and mother and calf pairs gently swimming by. The calves stayed in almost constant contact with their mothers as they glided past me, and it was unreal to witness these powerful deep divers momentarily at the surface. At this evenings recap, we shared the video I captured to give everyone just a taste of these creatures underwater.
We awoke this morning to a gorgeous sunrise and breaching Mobula rays as we approached Isla San Marcos, our island to explore for the morning. While some of us paddled the shoreline by kayak, most of us ventured up an arroyo to explore the lush vegetation in a narrow canyon. Many flowers were still lingering from the winter rains including passion vine, cotton, and malva. The stunning red volcanic rocks made a beautiful setting for the “garden-like” groupings of cactus and desert plants.
We then all moved to a nearby beach for our morning snorkeling adventure. Entering the water through a cave filled with lazing grunts and nesting sergeant majors, we admired the sea fan covered walls and the myriad of invertebrates. Schools of goatfish and parrotfish encircled us as we were entranced by the colors of the King Angelfish.
After lunch, we set sail towards Isla Tortuga, but never made it! Our vigilant bow watchers picked out a hammerhead shark cruising on the surface, and then we were surrounded by blows. Sperm whales encircled the ship and we were again rewarded with amazing views of these largest of the toothed whales. Many different groups were observed as they surfaced to recharge their oxygen, and one was even spotted with a 3 foot squid in its jaws. A Zodiac was lowered and I headed out to try and get some underwater video of these leviathans. I was lucky enough to have numerous views of single adults and mother and calf pairs gently swimming by. The calves stayed in almost constant contact with their mothers as they glided past me, and it was unreal to witness these powerful deep divers momentarily at the surface. At this evenings recap, we shared the video I captured to give everyone just a taste of these creatures underwater.
