Isla Catalina
The day began with some wonderful stretching at sunrise on the afterdeck, the senses and body awakening on the Sea of Cortez promising ever more renewal, excitement and discovery. Expedition Leader Tom O’Brien was determined to deliver whales and the conditions were ripe for finding them, with calm seas and light winds making their blows stand out. Less than an hour after breakfast our searching north of Isla Monserrat paid off, as ethereal columns erupted in the distance, some strange and low, others farther away, tall and majestic.
In no time we were upon a fin whale mother and calf and then good fortune, or Tom’s sage planning, brought more than a couple of humpback whales into view. It must have been a hot feeding spot. Other whales in the vicinity and fairly regular diving intervals of 7-10 minutes all suggested abundant krill below, perhaps in the deep scattering layer we were to hear about in our late morning lecture.
As we broke from the whales and headed south to Isla Catalina, Bill Gilly took us into the ocean depths with a great overview of his work on Humboldt squid and the oxygen minimum layer they exploit. He also showed Crittercam footage collected with National Geographic staff—first ever images of life from the squid’s point of view—and brought us a unique perspective on these remarkable creatures he has come to know so well.
The afternoon on Catalina piled even more wonder into our day—cardon and giant barrel cacti nearly busting at the seams from a wet season and endemic rattleless rattlesnake found only on this picturesque granite island. A male Costa’s hummingbird, its purple gorget flashing in the overcast, delighted those lucky to see it, while most will long remember the magic sprinkling in this desert, giving rise, behind the majestic succulents and rockscape, to a brilliant, arcing rainbow.
The day ended as always with engaging recap, guests standing proxy for cactus parts in a lesson on cardon anatomy, a whirlwind tour of Crittercam images including a unique view of a humpback whale calf nursing, and an inside view of a baleen whale mouth to bring the day’s amazing sights into perspective--a rich panoply of Baja delights.
