Isla San Pedro Martir
The National Geographic Sea Bird reached its northernmost point today in the vicinity of the remote island of San Pedro Martir. Shortly after dawn, a small group of bottlenose dolphins raced towards the bow to ride the pressure wave. Moments later, the puffy spouts of sperm whales appeared. What a fantastic start to the day! It is always special to see this species, made famous in the story of Moby Dick. The blowhole of one of these animals is located far forward and is offset to the side, so the spout is aimed ahead at a 45-degree angle and slightly to the left. At close range, it is possible to see the wrinkled brown skin, reminiscent of a dried prune. Bottlenose dolphins accompanied the sperm whales, and it was difficult to decide which direction to look. We lingered in the midst of numerous small groups of whales and watched distant spouts that rose from every direction. Their immense flukes rose high, with waterfalls streaming from the trailing edges.
Eventually, the ship turned towards the island itself, where we climbed into Zodiacs for a chance to cruise along the shoreline. California sea lions can be found year-round on these rocky shores. Limp bodies slumped over the volcanic rocks and warmed in the midday sun. Barks and other vocalizations filled the air as our Zodiacs paralleled the water’s edge. Curious yearlings tagged along, often porpoising clear of the surface in a series of leaps. Some approached the rubber boats cautiously and stared intently at the strange creatures within.
This isolated island is covered with guano from nesting seabirds, including blue-footed and brown boobies, tropicbirds, pelicans, and Brandt’s cormorants. Thousands of these birds drifted overhead in the brisk breeze and rising updrafts. Intricate rock walls provided evidence of a commercial guano mining operation that took place in the late 1800s when the island was inhabited. Bird droppings have nourished this island ecosystem for centuries, and along with the upwelling of cold water from the depths of this part of the gulf, have resulted in an extravagant abundance of life.
In late afternoon the clanging of the anchor chain clearly indicated our departure from this fascinating island. In preparation for tomorrow’s overland journey to search for gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon, Pete Pederson offered a presentation on baleen whales. For the remainder of the day we continued on towards the town of Santa Rosalia with the gentle push of a following sea.
The National Geographic Sea Bird reached its northernmost point today in the vicinity of the remote island of San Pedro Martir. Shortly after dawn, a small group of bottlenose dolphins raced towards the bow to ride the pressure wave. Moments later, the puffy spouts of sperm whales appeared. What a fantastic start to the day! It is always special to see this species, made famous in the story of Moby Dick. The blowhole of one of these animals is located far forward and is offset to the side, so the spout is aimed ahead at a 45-degree angle and slightly to the left. At close range, it is possible to see the wrinkled brown skin, reminiscent of a dried prune. Bottlenose dolphins accompanied the sperm whales, and it was difficult to decide which direction to look. We lingered in the midst of numerous small groups of whales and watched distant spouts that rose from every direction. Their immense flukes rose high, with waterfalls streaming from the trailing edges.
Eventually, the ship turned towards the island itself, where we climbed into Zodiacs for a chance to cruise along the shoreline. California sea lions can be found year-round on these rocky shores. Limp bodies slumped over the volcanic rocks and warmed in the midday sun. Barks and other vocalizations filled the air as our Zodiacs paralleled the water’s edge. Curious yearlings tagged along, often porpoising clear of the surface in a series of leaps. Some approached the rubber boats cautiously and stared intently at the strange creatures within.
This isolated island is covered with guano from nesting seabirds, including blue-footed and brown boobies, tropicbirds, pelicans, and Brandt’s cormorants. Thousands of these birds drifted overhead in the brisk breeze and rising updrafts. Intricate rock walls provided evidence of a commercial guano mining operation that took place in the late 1800s when the island was inhabited. Bird droppings have nourished this island ecosystem for centuries, and along with the upwelling of cold water from the depths of this part of the gulf, have resulted in an extravagant abundance of life.
In late afternoon the clanging of the anchor chain clearly indicated our departure from this fascinating island. In preparation for tomorrow’s overland journey to search for gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon, Pete Pederson offered a presentation on baleen whales. For the remainder of the day we continued on towards the town of Santa Rosalia with the gentle push of a following sea.
