In the dawn light we launched our fleet of inflatable boats to explore the waters around Isla San Pedro Mártir, the most remote island in the Sea of Cortez. The morning was blessed with a warm breeze, and we enjoyed calm seas as we circled this precipitous island, marveling at its many denizens. Brown boobies and blue-footed boobies crisscrossed the air above us. Brown pelicans rested stately on the shoreline rocks, meticulously preening their feathers. Red-billed tropicbirds flew overhead occasionally, calling exuberantly with shrill voices as they swooped close to the rocky cliffs. The most amusing creatures we found were exuberant throngs of young California sea lions jumping, playing, and curiously peering at us from the sparkling waters around our boats.
We returned to the ship, delighted by the great abundance of marine life that we found in this seldom visited part of the Sea of Cortez. As the final boats came back, several fin whales swam slowly past. We quickly raised the anchor to head out for better views of these great whales. By good fortune, they headed to the northern side of the island where we found even more fin whales. There were blows sighted in multiple directions as perhaps 10 or more fin whales surfaced and dove back and forth throughout the area. Eventually a number of these enormous yet sleek leviathans swam right by our bow, giving fantastic views to everyone.
When we eventually departed from the waters around San Pedro Mártir, we headed southward across deep waters towards the distant Baja Peninsula. A variety of seabirds floated across the sea, and we eventually encountered bottlenose dolphins, a lone humpback whale, and several Bryde’s whales. The daylight dwindled far beyond the silhouettes of the Tres Virgenes volcanoes north of Santa Rosalia, and we retired to the lounge and dining room to wrap-up another memorable day.
