Canal de San Jose, Isla San Francisco and Los Islotes
There is an old legend that says that the Gulf of California always grants a gift to sailors after giving them strong winds. This seemed to happen to us aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion while navigating in the San Jose Channel right after sunrise. The gift: a beautiful sunny morning, a flat, almost motionless ocean and a pod of probably one thousand feeding long-beaked common dolphins! They came disturbing the surface of the ocean like rain on a mirror. Once our ship navigated at the side of the pod many of the dolphins commenced to display their acrobatic capabilities, like leaping above the water or turning direction abruptly. Many females were seen with their calves, and a lot of individuals showed remoras attached to their bodies.
Later we left the dolphins and anchored in the quiet Half Moon Bay of Isla San Francisco. There we set up kayaks and explored the beautiful pink-orange rock formations that are roosting places for many sea birds. Then, in the middle of the bay, a big concentration of schooling fish attracted large numbers of pelicans and gulls which began a frenzy feeding, with the impressive plunge diving of the pelicans.
Once again, we repositioned our ship to an interesting location known as Los Islotes (literally The Islets) for snorkeling among California sea lions as well as to conduct Zodiac cruises to observe them from above the water. They were actively barking, diving, swimming to the surface, and competing for room on the rocks. The pups that are about ten months old were extremely playful both while diving and when observed from the Zodiacs. The big bulls, called beach masters, were the only individuals that remained quiet and asleep; this is due to their extreme self-confidence resulting from their weight and strength.
At the end of the day an unbelievable orange full-moon crowned the deep dark blue of the sky in the always beautiful and amazing Gulf of California, Mexico.
There is an old legend that says that the Gulf of California always grants a gift to sailors after giving them strong winds. This seemed to happen to us aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion while navigating in the San Jose Channel right after sunrise. The gift: a beautiful sunny morning, a flat, almost motionless ocean and a pod of probably one thousand feeding long-beaked common dolphins! They came disturbing the surface of the ocean like rain on a mirror. Once our ship navigated at the side of the pod many of the dolphins commenced to display their acrobatic capabilities, like leaping above the water or turning direction abruptly. Many females were seen with their calves, and a lot of individuals showed remoras attached to their bodies.
Later we left the dolphins and anchored in the quiet Half Moon Bay of Isla San Francisco. There we set up kayaks and explored the beautiful pink-orange rock formations that are roosting places for many sea birds. Then, in the middle of the bay, a big concentration of schooling fish attracted large numbers of pelicans and gulls which began a frenzy feeding, with the impressive plunge diving of the pelicans.
Once again, we repositioned our ship to an interesting location known as Los Islotes (literally The Islets) for snorkeling among California sea lions as well as to conduct Zodiac cruises to observe them from above the water. They were actively barking, diving, swimming to the surface, and competing for room on the rocks. The pups that are about ten months old were extremely playful both while diving and when observed from the Zodiacs. The big bulls, called beach masters, were the only individuals that remained quiet and asleep; this is due to their extreme self-confidence resulting from their weight and strength.
At the end of the day an unbelievable orange full-moon crowned the deep dark blue of the sky in the always beautiful and amazing Gulf of California, Mexico.
