Isla San Esteban to Isla San Pedro Martir
Our first morning in the Gulf of California was spent learning about desert ecology and searching for birds and lizards on Isla San Esteban. Most people were rewarded with close up views of the pinto chuckwalla and spiny-tailed iguana, two huge endemic lizards. Found amongst cholla cactus, sitting on rocks to warm up, and even lounging on spiny galloping cactus, these mostly vegetarian lizards were an amazing start to our day.
We set sail south during lunch and our siestas were interrupted by distant blows. As we approached we saw that amongst the bottlenose dolphins we had a group of sperm whales. The captain gently maneuvered the Sea Voyager in amongst some mother and calf pairs, logging at the surface before diving in to the deep trench below us in search of squid. Everyone was on the bow to get stunning views of our first whales of the trip. Carlos Navarro, our undersea specialist, and I entered the water to capture some images of what it is like in “their world.” While some of the whales were quite shy, we were both amazed as one juvenile approached within 10 feet or so before rolling on its side and passing below us and into the deep. The video that Carlos captured was a hit at the evenings recap, provided us with the above shot, and has left both of us still aglow.
The late afternoon was spent circumnavigating San Pedro Martir and its abundant breeding colonies of sea birds and sea lions. The beaches were lined with nursing California sea lion pups and the vocal beach masters guarding their harems. Sea birds seemed to be in varying stages of the breeding cycle with many solo fledged brown pelicans, fuzzy white boobies (along with inquisitive fledglings that landed on the ship), and many young gulls with their parents. Of special note was a harbor seal, which according to our encyclopedia of Mexican marine mammals (aka Carlos), was only the third record (for this more northerly species) ever in the Gulf of California. What a great start to our expedition!
Our first morning in the Gulf of California was spent learning about desert ecology and searching for birds and lizards on Isla San Esteban. Most people were rewarded with close up views of the pinto chuckwalla and spiny-tailed iguana, two huge endemic lizards. Found amongst cholla cactus, sitting on rocks to warm up, and even lounging on spiny galloping cactus, these mostly vegetarian lizards were an amazing start to our day.
We set sail south during lunch and our siestas were interrupted by distant blows. As we approached we saw that amongst the bottlenose dolphins we had a group of sperm whales. The captain gently maneuvered the Sea Voyager in amongst some mother and calf pairs, logging at the surface before diving in to the deep trench below us in search of squid. Everyone was on the bow to get stunning views of our first whales of the trip. Carlos Navarro, our undersea specialist, and I entered the water to capture some images of what it is like in “their world.” While some of the whales were quite shy, we were both amazed as one juvenile approached within 10 feet or so before rolling on its side and passing below us and into the deep. The video that Carlos captured was a hit at the evenings recap, provided us with the above shot, and has left both of us still aglow.
The late afternoon was spent circumnavigating San Pedro Martir and its abundant breeding colonies of sea birds and sea lions. The beaches were lined with nursing California sea lion pups and the vocal beach masters guarding their harems. Sea birds seemed to be in varying stages of the breeding cycle with many solo fledged brown pelicans, fuzzy white boobies (along with inquisitive fledglings that landed on the ship), and many young gulls with their parents. Of special note was a harbor seal, which according to our encyclopedia of Mexican marine mammals (aka Carlos), was only the third record (for this more northerly species) ever in the Gulf of California. What a great start to our expedition!
