Los Islotes & Bonanza Beach
We awoke this morning to yet another beautiful Baja sunrise, skies blistered with vibrant hues of red and orange. Our first stop this morning, Los Islotes, which is a small islet jutting almost vertically from the sea’s surface, is a favorite haulout for a small group of California sea lions. After a Zodiac cruise, we donned our wetsuits and snorkel gear and joined the playful and curious young sea lions. The water visibility was excellent and we were able to see these graceful animals perform underwater pirouettes amidst brightly colored reef fishes. Our ice cream sundae bar at lunch was interrupted by hundreds of long-beaked common dolphins. As we passed, several joined the ship, surfing on the pressure wave created by our bow. For the afternoon, we anchored in the turquoise waters of Bonanza Bay. The white sand beach stretched out before us, the cirrus clouds in the blue sky above. Whether we went sea kayaking, snorkeling, on a guided walk or strolled along the beach, it was the perfect end to an amazing week in Baja California.
This week we were fortunate enough to sail with several young, aspiring adventurers. Below are some of their comments on their experience in Baja.
“I think it’s cool that humpback whales have stripes on their stomach and when they jump out of the water, they are so shiny. Baja is really cool.” - Jackson Williams, age 7
“I think it’s cool when the whales dive down deep and come up so quickly to get a breath. They take big breaths. Baja is fantastic.” - Alexis Williams, age 7
“I like going back and forth on the Zodiacs. The beaches are nice and the rocks are fun to climb on.” - Max Williams, age 9
Explanation of the drawing: "On the left side is the Lindblad Expeditions symbol of the eye, and if you look on the bottom of it you will see teeth turning the eye into an abstract whale skull. After I realized it looked like a whale skull, I drew the ribbons trailing from it to form the whale body and fins. On the right is the National Geographic rectangle with a trailing ribbon saying Baja California." - Aidan Orellana, age 13
We awoke this morning to yet another beautiful Baja sunrise, skies blistered with vibrant hues of red and orange. Our first stop this morning, Los Islotes, which is a small islet jutting almost vertically from the sea’s surface, is a favorite haulout for a small group of California sea lions. After a Zodiac cruise, we donned our wetsuits and snorkel gear and joined the playful and curious young sea lions. The water visibility was excellent and we were able to see these graceful animals perform underwater pirouettes amidst brightly colored reef fishes. Our ice cream sundae bar at lunch was interrupted by hundreds of long-beaked common dolphins. As we passed, several joined the ship, surfing on the pressure wave created by our bow. For the afternoon, we anchored in the turquoise waters of Bonanza Bay. The white sand beach stretched out before us, the cirrus clouds in the blue sky above. Whether we went sea kayaking, snorkeling, on a guided walk or strolled along the beach, it was the perfect end to an amazing week in Baja California.
This week we were fortunate enough to sail with several young, aspiring adventurers. Below are some of their comments on their experience in Baja.
“I think it’s cool that humpback whales have stripes on their stomach and when they jump out of the water, they are so shiny. Baja is really cool.” - Jackson Williams, age 7
“I think it’s cool when the whales dive down deep and come up so quickly to get a breath. They take big breaths. Baja is fantastic.” - Alexis Williams, age 7
“I like going back and forth on the Zodiacs. The beaches are nice and the rocks are fun to climb on.” - Max Williams, age 9
Explanation of the drawing: "On the left side is the Lindblad Expeditions symbol of the eye, and if you look on the bottom of it you will see teeth turning the eye into an abstract whale skull. After I realized it looked like a whale skull, I drew the ribbons trailing from it to form the whale body and fins. On the right is the National Geographic rectangle with a trailing ribbon saying Baja California." - Aidan Orellana, age 13
