Isla Santa Catalina & Isla San Jose

Shortly after sunrise the National Geographic Sea Bird entered a protected cove on the southern flanks of Isla Santa Catalina, our morning destination. An immense, elephant-shaped rock loomed nearby. Snorkelers slid into the clear water from an anchored Zodiac to discover colorful fish, sea stars and flower urchins. An unusual underwater sighting was of miniature flecks that looked like turquoise sequins. The naturalists said that these are a kind of iridescent copepod, which are crustaceans related to crabs. They are called Copilia and are in the family Sapphirinidae, so named because of the shiny bright blue backs of the males.

We devoted the remainder of the morning to hiking on this isolated and scenic island, a part of Loreto Bay National Park. Trunks of cardons dominated the landscape along with giant barrel cacti that are found only on this island and two others in the vicinity. One group of hikers strode off at a good clip for an ascent to the crest of the island for a spectacular view. Medium-paced and leisure walkers concentrated on the sandy lowlands to take photographs and to learn more about the desert and its inhabitants from the naturalists. Gila woodpeckers, white-winged doves, black-throated sparrows and even a male cardinal captured our attention. A creamy white flower of a cardon cactus hinted at more to come. Those who did not go ashore boarded a Zodiac to explore the island from a different perspective.

As we relocated to the site for our evening barbecue on Isla San Jose, hundreds of long-beaked common dolphins appeared, coming straight for the ship. They changed their course 180 degrees to join the ship and stayed with us long enough for everyone to watch their antics from the decks. In the lounge, the bow camera captured real-time action of the animals immediately in front of the ship. Not long afterwards, an announcement came over the speakers that whales had been spotted. Two humpbacks splashed at the surface and then descended out of sight. Patience paid off, and we watched these animals and their spouts repeatedly. They both raised their flukes close to the ship for a wonderful finale.

The sun sank over the high mountains, and then it was time for dinner on a comfortable sandy beach. A bonfire crackled well into the night. Songs and a guitar playing, stories and stargazing passed the time before all finally returned to the ship for a well-earned night of sleep.