Los Islotes
The second day of our expedition through the Gulf of California was full of spectacular encounters. Early this morning, as the National Geographic Sea Lion sailed through the San Jose Channel, the first rays of light illuminated Punta Mechudo. Here, a group of fin whales gathered and displayed interesting behaviors. These highly productive waters provide the great behemoths with enough food, and their abundance is hardly matched by any other place in the planet.
Later, as we left the fin whales behind, we had one of the most amazing encounters with the world's largest creatures: blue whales. Several of these magnificent cetaceans were sighted, but a particular animal was interested in us. The whale approached the ship, and literally swam in circles around us; over and over again, the whale made close passes. Only like this, a human being can appreciate the size of a blue whale in its environment, and understand that these creatures are much more than just enormous mammals; they are intelligent.
Los Islotes was our next destination. Here we could get close looks of the California sea lions that inhabit the dramatic rock formations that emerge from the depths. Some of us took Zodiac cruises and enjoyed the proximity to these wild creatures. Others went snorkeling to explore the underwater environment where sea lions are so graceful. Besides the sea lions, the fish and invertebrate life is rich and colorful. An example of the diversity of this place is this brightly colored sea slug or nudibranch. All of this happened this morning before lunch!
For the afternoon we went ashore to Bahia Bonanza, where we kayaked through the pristine shorelines of Isla Espiritu Santo. Some of us joined the naturalists to explore the desert environment of this special place.
The second day of our expedition through the Gulf of California was full of spectacular encounters. Early this morning, as the National Geographic Sea Lion sailed through the San Jose Channel, the first rays of light illuminated Punta Mechudo. Here, a group of fin whales gathered and displayed interesting behaviors. These highly productive waters provide the great behemoths with enough food, and their abundance is hardly matched by any other place in the planet.
Later, as we left the fin whales behind, we had one of the most amazing encounters with the world's largest creatures: blue whales. Several of these magnificent cetaceans were sighted, but a particular animal was interested in us. The whale approached the ship, and literally swam in circles around us; over and over again, the whale made close passes. Only like this, a human being can appreciate the size of a blue whale in its environment, and understand that these creatures are much more than just enormous mammals; they are intelligent.
Los Islotes was our next destination. Here we could get close looks of the California sea lions that inhabit the dramatic rock formations that emerge from the depths. Some of us took Zodiac cruises and enjoyed the proximity to these wild creatures. Others went snorkeling to explore the underwater environment where sea lions are so graceful. Besides the sea lions, the fish and invertebrate life is rich and colorful. An example of the diversity of this place is this brightly colored sea slug or nudibranch. All of this happened this morning before lunch!
For the afternoon we went ashore to Bahia Bonanza, where we kayaked through the pristine shorelines of Isla Espiritu Santo. Some of us joined the naturalists to explore the desert environment of this special place.
