Our first full day in the Sea of Cortez gave us the wildness we were looking for.
Just before breakfast the National Geographic Sea Lion anchored near Bonanza Beach, on Espiritu Santo Island. This island is part of an archipelago of Islands in the protected Espiritu Santo National Park. Bonanza beach is a long, beautiful, white-sand beach that perfect for leisurely strolls. As usual, our naturalists led natural history hikes giving valuable information about the species/area and our photo team led photography-centered hikes. Today was also our first snorkel opportunity! Snorkelers were able to walk into the brilliant blue water and discover what lives beneath. We saw rainbow wrasse, sergeant majors, and king angel fish (a favorite!). We even had some first time snorkelers in the group! A highlight for many on the beach was seeing the yellow footed gulls. These gulls are endemic to this area, meaning they are only found here and nowhere else in the world.
Our insatiable desire to see whales led us to another afternoon of whale watching. The sun was shining, the winds were low, and it was a perfect afternoon to be out on the bow. While cruising Bahia de La Paz, we spotted some humpback whales! How exciting it was to see breaching humpback whales two days in a row! As we bid farewell to the humpbacks, we encountered a school of mobula rays. The rays put on a spectacular show: jumping, belly-flopping, and even flipping. Looking down through the waves, we could see the schools passing beneath the ship-so majestic!
