At Sea & Isla Monserrat
Deep hues of violet and red splashed across the dramatic volcanic layers of the Baja California peninsula greeting those who braved the brisk breeze on the bow at sunrise this morning. We scanned the San Jose Channel, enjoyed hot coffee and greeted our new friends. By mid-morning the patient watchers spotted some distant splashes and were soon rewarded with views of short-finned pilot whales leaping through the seas and surfing the swells created by the National Geographic Sea Bird’s wake. This is our second fortunate sighting of these large members of the dolphin family in three days! Their large bulbous heads and distinctive dorsal fins make them readily identifiable and delightful to observe. This group of about 20 animals had several young ones mirroring their mothers’ movements.
The desert sun warmed the day wonderfully and after lunch we anchored in a sheltered sunny cove on the southwest side of Isla Monserrat. Both land and sea activities were offered from hikes up a beautiful winding arroyo as well as kayaking, snorkeling and tidepooling. Above the sand beach is a white wall of sedimentary rock filled with seabed fossils, quite a special landform here. This marine terrace was probably deposited during the last interglacial age 125,000 years ago when sea level was about twenty feet higher.
These past few days have flown by and our hearts and cameras are filled with images from this special place of desert and sea. Red rocks draped with California sea lions, giant green accordions of columnar cactus as well as the columnar blows of the magnificent blue whale. Laughter radiates out from a bonfire burning brightly on a remote stretch of sand beach.
Deep hues of violet and red splashed across the dramatic volcanic layers of the Baja California peninsula greeting those who braved the brisk breeze on the bow at sunrise this morning. We scanned the San Jose Channel, enjoyed hot coffee and greeted our new friends. By mid-morning the patient watchers spotted some distant splashes and were soon rewarded with views of short-finned pilot whales leaping through the seas and surfing the swells created by the National Geographic Sea Bird’s wake. This is our second fortunate sighting of these large members of the dolphin family in three days! Their large bulbous heads and distinctive dorsal fins make them readily identifiable and delightful to observe. This group of about 20 animals had several young ones mirroring their mothers’ movements.
The desert sun warmed the day wonderfully and after lunch we anchored in a sheltered sunny cove on the southwest side of Isla Monserrat. Both land and sea activities were offered from hikes up a beautiful winding arroyo as well as kayaking, snorkeling and tidepooling. Above the sand beach is a white wall of sedimentary rock filled with seabed fossils, quite a special landform here. This marine terrace was probably deposited during the last interglacial age 125,000 years ago when sea level was about twenty feet higher.
These past few days have flown by and our hearts and cameras are filled with images from this special place of desert and sea. Red rocks draped with California sea lions, giant green accordions of columnar cactus as well as the columnar blows of the magnificent blue whale. Laughter radiates out from a bonfire burning brightly on a remote stretch of sand beach.
