Isla Ildefonso to Isla San Marcos
We set out before breakfast for a Zodiac exploration of the breeding bird island of Ildefonso. A southern swell and strong western wind made our journey interesting, but we were quickly rewarded with great views of many different species of sea birds. Brown pelicans appeared to be very successful this year as recently fledged birds lined the shoreline while white fluffy chicks were still observed in nests. Excellent close-up views were had of both brown and blue-footed boobies as well as a pair of American oystercatchers and their attentive chick.
After breakfast we set sail and headed north scanning for “large sea creatures.” Our vigilant bow-watchers were rewarded with many flipping mobula rays, a hammerhead shark, and a few wedge-rumped storm-petrels in amongst the abundant least and blacks. When most had given up hope, the cry of “blows” went out. We were quickly surrounded by sperm whales, the largest of the toothed whales. One group, consisting of at least 2 adults and 3 juveniles, repeatedly spy-hopped and lifted their heads out of the water with their mouths open. What was going on under there, we wondered? Well, a Zodiac was lowered and I slipped into the water to capture some video to later show to everyone back on board. I did not see what the big group was up to, but did get some excellent video of a few individuals slowly passing by, along with incredible audio of the echolocation clicks of the sperm whales.
Our afternoon was spent on Isla San Marcos, snorkeling amongst sea fan lined caves and kayaking along the stunning coastline. A barbecue dinner was the perfect treat to be had with the sun setting over the Tres Virgenes volcanoes on the nearby Baja Peninsula. As we returned to the ship after dinner, Humboldt squid were spotted feeding on small polychaete worms that were attracted to the ship’s lights. As everyone boarded the Sea Voyager, a joyous squid watching party broke out on the fantail. We dropped the splash-cam to capture some video of these 3-foot long squid, and the one in the above photo came in to try and eat the camera. It quickly decided the camera was not tasty and went back to feeding on the small worms and fish.
We set out before breakfast for a Zodiac exploration of the breeding bird island of Ildefonso. A southern swell and strong western wind made our journey interesting, but we were quickly rewarded with great views of many different species of sea birds. Brown pelicans appeared to be very successful this year as recently fledged birds lined the shoreline while white fluffy chicks were still observed in nests. Excellent close-up views were had of both brown and blue-footed boobies as well as a pair of American oystercatchers and their attentive chick.
After breakfast we set sail and headed north scanning for “large sea creatures.” Our vigilant bow-watchers were rewarded with many flipping mobula rays, a hammerhead shark, and a few wedge-rumped storm-petrels in amongst the abundant least and blacks. When most had given up hope, the cry of “blows” went out. We were quickly surrounded by sperm whales, the largest of the toothed whales. One group, consisting of at least 2 adults and 3 juveniles, repeatedly spy-hopped and lifted their heads out of the water with their mouths open. What was going on under there, we wondered? Well, a Zodiac was lowered and I slipped into the water to capture some video to later show to everyone back on board. I did not see what the big group was up to, but did get some excellent video of a few individuals slowly passing by, along with incredible audio of the echolocation clicks of the sperm whales.
Our afternoon was spent on Isla San Marcos, snorkeling amongst sea fan lined caves and kayaking along the stunning coastline. A barbecue dinner was the perfect treat to be had with the sun setting over the Tres Virgenes volcanoes on the nearby Baja Peninsula. As we returned to the ship after dinner, Humboldt squid were spotted feeding on small polychaete worms that were attracted to the ship’s lights. As everyone boarded the Sea Voyager, a joyous squid watching party broke out on the fantail. We dropped the splash-cam to capture some video of these 3-foot long squid, and the one in the above photo came in to try and eat the camera. It quickly decided the camera was not tasty and went back to feeding on the small worms and fish.
