Isla San Francisco & Searching for Marine Life
After a peaceful night at anchor, the ship got underway in the early hours to cruise northwards towards Isla San Francisco. As the sun rose above the ocean it lit the spectacular mountains of the Baja Peninsula to the west. We cruised slowly past an area known as Cabeza de Mechudo where banded layers of ancient volcanic material paint the hills in dramatic striations. We then encountered a small group of long-beaked common dolphins as we headed to our anchorage.
Our morning landing was on a long, arcing, white sand beach in Half Moon Bay on Isla San Francisco. Many of us wandered inland into the desert, and up onto a scenic ridgeline where precipitous cliffs drop down to the sea on the far side of this small island. Back at the beach a few swimmers cooled off in the clear waters of the bay, while others took to kayaks to further explore the shoreline waters. After a relaxing morning exploring Isla San Francisco, we headed back to the ship for lunch.
The afternoon was spent cruising and watching marine mammals. We first headed eastward where we came upon an enormous group of perhaps 700-800 long-beaked common dolphins. They swarmed around our ship, repeatedly leaping from the water, and riding in the ship’s wake and bow wave. We had incredible views of these sleek and magnificent creatures all around us. Overhead, magnificent frigatebirds soared above the ship, occasionally swooping down over the water to pluck fish from the surface. Another mile beyond the dolphins we sighted a blue whale surfacing. This immense creature was diving for nine to ten minutes at a time, then surfacing to blow and breathe numerous times before diving again. In the nearly flat seas we were able to get some good views of this largest species of animal.
Eventually we pulled away, swinging back past the common dolphins on our way to the San José Channel and our planned route north. Rounding Isla San Francisco, once again, we also passed a smaller group of bottlenose dolphins. As the late afternoon sun began sinking towards the sierras in the west we reached the northern end of San José Channel. Here we found two more blue whales, including one that was consistently fluking each time it dove. The captain positioned us with a splendid view of the yellow sunset sky silhouetting the jagged peaks of the peninsula. Out on deck there was a festive mood with cheers and applause each time the great blue whale flung its flukes skyward.
After a peaceful night at anchor, the ship got underway in the early hours to cruise northwards towards Isla San Francisco. As the sun rose above the ocean it lit the spectacular mountains of the Baja Peninsula to the west. We cruised slowly past an area known as Cabeza de Mechudo where banded layers of ancient volcanic material paint the hills in dramatic striations. We then encountered a small group of long-beaked common dolphins as we headed to our anchorage.
Our morning landing was on a long, arcing, white sand beach in Half Moon Bay on Isla San Francisco. Many of us wandered inland into the desert, and up onto a scenic ridgeline where precipitous cliffs drop down to the sea on the far side of this small island. Back at the beach a few swimmers cooled off in the clear waters of the bay, while others took to kayaks to further explore the shoreline waters. After a relaxing morning exploring Isla San Francisco, we headed back to the ship for lunch.
The afternoon was spent cruising and watching marine mammals. We first headed eastward where we came upon an enormous group of perhaps 700-800 long-beaked common dolphins. They swarmed around our ship, repeatedly leaping from the water, and riding in the ship’s wake and bow wave. We had incredible views of these sleek and magnificent creatures all around us. Overhead, magnificent frigatebirds soared above the ship, occasionally swooping down over the water to pluck fish from the surface. Another mile beyond the dolphins we sighted a blue whale surfacing. This immense creature was diving for nine to ten minutes at a time, then surfacing to blow and breathe numerous times before diving again. In the nearly flat seas we were able to get some good views of this largest species of animal.
Eventually we pulled away, swinging back past the common dolphins on our way to the San José Channel and our planned route north. Rounding Isla San Francisco, once again, we also passed a smaller group of bottlenose dolphins. As the late afternoon sun began sinking towards the sierras in the west we reached the northern end of San José Channel. Here we found two more blue whales, including one that was consistently fluking each time it dove. The captain positioned us with a splendid view of the yellow sunset sky silhouetting the jagged peaks of the peninsula. Out on deck there was a festive mood with cheers and applause each time the great blue whale flung its flukes skyward.
