The sun was out in full force this morning as we navigated our small boats around the rock outcropping of Los Islotes, a chunk of volcanic rock off the north coast of Isla Partida, a part of the Archipelago de Espiritu Santo National Park. California sea lions lounged on the rocks, while gulls and frigatebirds perched high atop the crags.
After our morning cruises, many bold travelers donned wetsuits, grabbed their underwater cameras, and spent the rest of the morning snorkeling with the sea lions. Most were playful, nipping each other (and sometimes us!), scratching themselves by contorting their agile bodies into a perfect circle, or darting toward us before flipping under and swimming away, only to come back and do it all over again. A large male sea lion wove his way around his fellow swimmers, always staying just far enough away from us. A cuddle pile of sea lions draped themselves across the rocks—and each other—at the bottom of the sea floor. Every so often, one spiraled up to the surface, flipped toward us and dove back down again.
Post-lunch, which was a delicious burger-and-hot dog fest coupled with an ice cream sundae bar on the aft deck, we had a brief kayak informational meeting and then got ready to head off for an afternoon of adventure at Ensenada Grande. Some of us kayaked in the crystal turquoise waters, admiring the amorphous formations of volcanic tuff along the shoreline, while others of us laced on our hiking shoes and braved a three-hour hike up through a rocky canyon before arriving at a saddle with a gorgeous view of the other side of the island. Some of the hikers saw several endemic island animals: the antelope ground squirrel, a striped racer, and a black jackrabbit. A rattlesnake was also spotted. Those that kayaked enjoyed a tranquil afternoon paddling gracefully through the shallow waters. Late afternoon expedition landing craft cruises treated us to a closer look at the red rock formations that make up Isla Partida.
As we departed Ensenada Grande, the sun dipped low into the azure sky, treating us to our first remarkable sunset in the beautiful Sea of Cortez.
