On our second day visiting Isla Espiritu Santo, we were able to enjoy calm weather and take advantage of it by taking either a medium or long hike up the arroyo of Ensenada Grande, while others chose kayaking in the calm bay. Paddle boards and expedition landing craft cruises were offered as well. The volcanic rock of Ensenada Grande is bold and colorful. The geology in this area is amazing and shows the violent history of the past as numerous volcanoes created much of the land that is now western Mexico.
The ship was repositioned just a few miles north in the afternoon and a chance to snorkel was offered. Los Islotes means the islets or small islands. These craggy rock formations are home to many tropical fish as well as California sea lions. These playful marine mammals seem to be fascinated by our inability to swim correctly or at least as they see it. The young animals would routinely swim circles around us in an attempt to get us to speed up our aquatic activities. Once everyone who wanted to get in the water had done so, we had a chance to get into the expedition landing crafts and go back to Los Islotes and photograph the sea lions as well as the roosting birds of the islets such as the magnificent frigate bird, brown pelican, and blue-footed boobies.
Once back on board National Geographic Sea Bird the ship ventured south as we would enter the tropics this evening and continue our expedition around the southern extreme of the Baja California Peninsula.
