Isla Carmen and Isla Santa Catalina, Baja California
Today defined the phrase “Where the Desert meets the Sea.” We spent the early morning hours exploring the red rock canyon known as Arroyo Rojo, which twists and turns its way deep into the mountainous interior of Isla Carmen. All of us enjoyed the invigorating scrambles that this canyon presented, and everyone was looking forward to a quick dip in the Sea of Cortes when we returned to the ship.
Tranquil waters surrounded the ship, and we jumped into the sea from the stern, none of quite realizing how delicious the waters would be, and for the next two hours we enjoyed frolicking in the water! We were jumping from the stern, riding on the torpedo blaster, and a few brave souls even tried the wake board.
We lifted anchor during lunch, headed for the north of Isla Carmen as whale spouts had been sighted. Another treat awaited us, schools of large predatory fish were pushing small anchovy like fish to the surface, and birds were snatching fish from the surface as suddenly a Bryde’s whale scooped up all the fish teeming at the surface. This kept happening, so Carlos our fearless Undersea Specialist took to the water to get some underwater footage!
Later in the afternoon we arrived at Isla Santa Catalina, and here we snorkeled, swam and even took a scuba dive. It was such a delightful evening ashore that we decided to have a beach BBQ dinner, and watched the sunset with the sky turning every shade of red, crimson and pink. Many of the younger folks stayed playing in the water through dinner, and were still using a Zodiac as an improvised diving platform as we headed back to the ship under a full moon. A spectacular end to a wonderful day where the desert meets the sea!
Today defined the phrase “Where the Desert meets the Sea.” We spent the early morning hours exploring the red rock canyon known as Arroyo Rojo, which twists and turns its way deep into the mountainous interior of Isla Carmen. All of us enjoyed the invigorating scrambles that this canyon presented, and everyone was looking forward to a quick dip in the Sea of Cortes when we returned to the ship.
Tranquil waters surrounded the ship, and we jumped into the sea from the stern, none of quite realizing how delicious the waters would be, and for the next two hours we enjoyed frolicking in the water! We were jumping from the stern, riding on the torpedo blaster, and a few brave souls even tried the wake board.
We lifted anchor during lunch, headed for the north of Isla Carmen as whale spouts had been sighted. Another treat awaited us, schools of large predatory fish were pushing small anchovy like fish to the surface, and birds were snatching fish from the surface as suddenly a Bryde’s whale scooped up all the fish teeming at the surface. This kept happening, so Carlos our fearless Undersea Specialist took to the water to get some underwater footage!
Later in the afternoon we arrived at Isla Santa Catalina, and here we snorkeled, swam and even took a scuba dive. It was such a delightful evening ashore that we decided to have a beach BBQ dinner, and watched the sunset with the sky turning every shade of red, crimson and pink. Many of the younger folks stayed playing in the water through dinner, and were still using a Zodiac as an improvised diving platform as we headed back to the ship under a full moon. A spectacular end to a wonderful day where the desert meets the sea!
