Isla Espiritu Santo & Los Islotes
At dawn the National Geographic Sea Bird lay quietly at anchor within a turquoise bay surrounded by dry volcanic hillsides. Bahía San Gabriel is one of the picturesque coves indenting the rugged western coastline of Isla Espiritu Santo. Zodiacs carried us to a sandy beach backed by bright green mangroves that lined a channel of sea water within the desert landscape. Frigatebirds clustered among a string of these trees nearby and circled overhead. Naturalist-led walks of all speeds departed from the landing to wander inland.
This island is rich in human history, and we learned about the native people who lived in these harsh conditions as well as the pearling operations that took place here over the centuries. One group of hikers discovered a site of archaeological interest where stone flakes had been manufactured. Crabs, a velvet ant and other small creatures scuttled into hiding at our approach. A variety of birds including verdins, gnatcatchers, mockingbirds and ash-throated flycatchers flitted through the desert vegetation. We returned to the landing site to find conditions far different as a result of the dropping tide. We expected this, and it was still fun to wade through the shallows to reach the waiting Zodiacs for our return shuttle.
The afternoon was in total contrast to the morning. The ship anchored at Los Islotes, a rocky site where California sea lions haul-out throughout the year. Snorkelers donned their gear to take the plunge and search for fish and sea lions. Blue-and-gold snappers, damselfish and Cortez angelfish patrolled the rocks, and schools of flatiron herring swam just beneath the surface. A Brandt’s cormorant paddled underwater in search of a fishy meal. Every now and then a sea lion approached. They are amazingly agile and graceful in their watery realm.
After our snorkeling adventure, we cruised the shoreline by Zodiac to watch the antics of the sea lions and to look for seabirds and anything else that might appear. Bright orange Sally Lightfoot crabs clung to the intertidal rocks where endemic yellow-footed gulls perched. Blue-footed boobies are found here, and luckily, several pairs showed off their bright blue feet in a series of courtship displays. A great blue heron searched the water’s edge carefully for food and captured a fish not far from our Zodiacs. The heron struggled quite a while with its slimy meal before swallowing it head-first in a final gulp.
As the sinking sun approached the horizon, the last boats returned to the ship for a relaxing evening. After dinner our Undersea Specialist showed footage of his dive at Los Islotes for a nice summary of our time in the underwater world this afternoon. The ship motored north throughout much of the night in anticipation of tomorrow’s visit to the marine environment and islands of Loreto Bay National Park.
