San Francisco Island & San Jose Channel
We woke up this morning near San Francisco Island in the Sea of Cortez. The sea was calm and we headed for the safe anchorage on the southwest side. We had a great breakfast of pancakes, bacon, various forms of scrambled eggs and a giant fruit plate. Yum. Some people wanted to go hiking and others snorkeling.
The snorkelers rode the Zodiacs to a beautiful rocky shore and dove right off the boats. The water was clear and cool but they had wet suits and were well prepared for the adventure. Various fish were spotted, and an octopus slithered over the rocky bottom as well.
On land, three different walks took place; a short, medium and long walk. The salt flats had pools of salt that would be harvested by the local fishermen. The nearby hills had a good diversity of cactus and we found both a verdin and packrat nest tucked in them. A plant-eating chuckawalla lizard was also found. Black-throated sparrows highlighted the birders’ walk.
After a great family-style tacos, salad and soup lunch, we traveled northward in San Jose Channel searching for marine life. We were well-rewarded by finding two Blue whales which were probably feeding in the area. We decided to follow one of these beautiful animals, the largest to have ever lived on the planet, larger that any dinosaur. Our patience paid off! Rising not a hundred meters from the ship a wonderful whale blew. It exhaled and inhaled three times and then with a great arch showed us its gigantic fluke. We were able to see this spectacle several times, including a sighting very near the ship. Almost everyone was on the deck to witness the fluke slipping into the sea. A great cheer rose up as this leviathan disappeared, a memory none of us will ever forget.
In the afternoon we had an opportunity to kayak, take a guided walk or just stroll along “Kelley’s” beach. We topped off our day with a scrumptious beach barbecue and campfire stories by both Jim Kelley and William Lopez-Forment.
As we returned back to the ship through the bioluminescence, we were serenaded by late-night singers by the firelight. What a day!
We woke up this morning near San Francisco Island in the Sea of Cortez. The sea was calm and we headed for the safe anchorage on the southwest side. We had a great breakfast of pancakes, bacon, various forms of scrambled eggs and a giant fruit plate. Yum. Some people wanted to go hiking and others snorkeling.
The snorkelers rode the Zodiacs to a beautiful rocky shore and dove right off the boats. The water was clear and cool but they had wet suits and were well prepared for the adventure. Various fish were spotted, and an octopus slithered over the rocky bottom as well.
On land, three different walks took place; a short, medium and long walk. The salt flats had pools of salt that would be harvested by the local fishermen. The nearby hills had a good diversity of cactus and we found both a verdin and packrat nest tucked in them. A plant-eating chuckawalla lizard was also found. Black-throated sparrows highlighted the birders’ walk.
After a great family-style tacos, salad and soup lunch, we traveled northward in San Jose Channel searching for marine life. We were well-rewarded by finding two Blue whales which were probably feeding in the area. We decided to follow one of these beautiful animals, the largest to have ever lived on the planet, larger that any dinosaur. Our patience paid off! Rising not a hundred meters from the ship a wonderful whale blew. It exhaled and inhaled three times and then with a great arch showed us its gigantic fluke. We were able to see this spectacle several times, including a sighting very near the ship. Almost everyone was on the deck to witness the fluke slipping into the sea. A great cheer rose up as this leviathan disappeared, a memory none of us will ever forget.
In the afternoon we had an opportunity to kayak, take a guided walk or just stroll along “Kelley’s” beach. We topped off our day with a scrumptious beach barbecue and campfire stories by both Jim Kelley and William Lopez-Forment.
As we returned back to the ship through the bioluminescence, we were serenaded by late-night singers by the firelight. What a day!
