Los Islotes & Espiritu Santo
Ease and accessibility were the twin virtues of today’s guardian angel. Never mind any bad luck associated with Friday the Thirteenth—not here in beautiful Baja California aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion! The wake-up call, a full 10 minutes before sunrise, gave us plenty of time to mosey on out to watch this morning’s green flash, a burst of emerald light occurring just before sunrise. The exceptionally clear atmosphere made it easy to see this unusual phenomenon.
The sea barely lapped the shoreline of Los Islotes, a small rocky outlet at the tip of Isla Partida. This made for perfect conditions during this morning’s activities: zodiac cruises around the island and later snorkeling on its southern side. No one hurried this morning, not even the animals. Though the inside bay between the two islands teemed with enormous schools of flat iron herring, the pelicans only casually shot down from the sky to scoop up mouthfuls of fish. Likewise, the California sea lions were more interested in lazily neck fencing and playing “king of the rock” than pursuing the fish. Equally serene, a preening peregrine falcon perched on a navigational tower. Its present preoccupation temporarily allowed all the other resident birds to remain at ease. The same was true for us. Having traveled together for five days, we felt comfortable in one another’s presence. It was easy to remain in the moment, to appreciate nature and to simply be at peace.
Snorkeling with the California sea lions added a little more spice to our easygoing morning. At times, ease and accessibility verged on the side of vulnerability. While snorkeling, yearling sea lions received us with great pleasure and excitement, perhaps more than was expected. One guest’s comment rang true that, “As we were on a tour to swim with sea lions, the sea lions were on a tour to swim with humans!” Like fighter pilots they shot toward towards many of us awkward land mammals flailing in the water and at the last moment they changed course and gracefully swam away. Regardless of how frightening some encounters might have been, we all came out of the water smiling and somehow changed by these very special and intimate encounters with wild animals.
By afternoon, an easterly wind blew down from the mountains on Isla Espiritu Santo and onto the white sands beach of Bahia Bonanza where we set up camp for the afternoon. Though strong, the wind failed to break the lingering tranquility, our newly imprinted state of mind—peacefulness and interconnectedness. We kayaked one last time and set off for one last look at the desert gardens gracing the islands of this very special place.
Perhaps the course of today reflects how we feel now and how we hope to feel when we return home. Right now feeling interconnected is easy, but when the wind starts to blow we can only hope that memories of this trip, of the people we met and all of what we felt, will continue to resonate within our souls.
Ease and accessibility were the twin virtues of today’s guardian angel. Never mind any bad luck associated with Friday the Thirteenth—not here in beautiful Baja California aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion! The wake-up call, a full 10 minutes before sunrise, gave us plenty of time to mosey on out to watch this morning’s green flash, a burst of emerald light occurring just before sunrise. The exceptionally clear atmosphere made it easy to see this unusual phenomenon.
The sea barely lapped the shoreline of Los Islotes, a small rocky outlet at the tip of Isla Partida. This made for perfect conditions during this morning’s activities: zodiac cruises around the island and later snorkeling on its southern side. No one hurried this morning, not even the animals. Though the inside bay between the two islands teemed with enormous schools of flat iron herring, the pelicans only casually shot down from the sky to scoop up mouthfuls of fish. Likewise, the California sea lions were more interested in lazily neck fencing and playing “king of the rock” than pursuing the fish. Equally serene, a preening peregrine falcon perched on a navigational tower. Its present preoccupation temporarily allowed all the other resident birds to remain at ease. The same was true for us. Having traveled together for five days, we felt comfortable in one another’s presence. It was easy to remain in the moment, to appreciate nature and to simply be at peace.
Snorkeling with the California sea lions added a little more spice to our easygoing morning. At times, ease and accessibility verged on the side of vulnerability. While snorkeling, yearling sea lions received us with great pleasure and excitement, perhaps more than was expected. One guest’s comment rang true that, “As we were on a tour to swim with sea lions, the sea lions were on a tour to swim with humans!” Like fighter pilots they shot toward towards many of us awkward land mammals flailing in the water and at the last moment they changed course and gracefully swam away. Regardless of how frightening some encounters might have been, we all came out of the water smiling and somehow changed by these very special and intimate encounters with wild animals.
By afternoon, an easterly wind blew down from the mountains on Isla Espiritu Santo and onto the white sands beach of Bahia Bonanza where we set up camp for the afternoon. Though strong, the wind failed to break the lingering tranquility, our newly imprinted state of mind—peacefulness and interconnectedness. We kayaked one last time and set off for one last look at the desert gardens gracing the islands of this very special place.
Perhaps the course of today reflects how we feel now and how we hope to feel when we return home. Right now feeling interconnected is easy, but when the wind starts to blow we can only hope that memories of this trip, of the people we met and all of what we felt, will continue to resonate within our souls.
