Bahia Santa Maria & the Pacific
Truly in the expedition style, today was one of those delightful days when we had no expectations and were open for new adventures. The main goal was to travel south, and this we did with unplanned yet rewarding stops along the way.
This morning, we had extra time to explore, and the Captain found us an anchorage the north end of Santa Maria Bay on Isla Magdalena. The landing we found was a surfer camp during other times of year, but today it was all ours. The surf was “up,” as was our spirit of adventure. The beach where we landed was full of interesting plants and plenty of photographic opportunities. Trails led across to beautiful views of the Pacific and interesting lighting for capturing images of the waves. The more aerobically oriented hiked the nearby peak for views all the way back to San Carlos where our trip began just a few days ago.
In the afternoon we relaxed and enjoyed the gentle rocking of the ship as the swell pushed us south. Those of us who spent time on the bow were rewarded for our efforts.
Sometimes, seemingly out of nowhere, common dolphins raced and leaped to catch up with the ship, all for the “free ride” once they got here. It was hard to know who was having more fun, the dolphins being pushed by our pressure wave or all of us leaning over the bow to watch them! Another time we came upon a feeding frenzy of gulls and shearwaters, and as we got closer we realized that some Humboldt squid were participating too.
When we left San Ignacio Lagoon yesterday, we had over 310 nautical miles to travel just to reach the tip of the peninsula, and then many more miles north to get to the islands in the Gulf of California. But today we were in neither of those places, and we were happy with being in the moment and seeing what the moment brought.
Truly in the expedition style, today was one of those delightful days when we had no expectations and were open for new adventures. The main goal was to travel south, and this we did with unplanned yet rewarding stops along the way.
This morning, we had extra time to explore, and the Captain found us an anchorage the north end of Santa Maria Bay on Isla Magdalena. The landing we found was a surfer camp during other times of year, but today it was all ours. The surf was “up,” as was our spirit of adventure. The beach where we landed was full of interesting plants and plenty of photographic opportunities. Trails led across to beautiful views of the Pacific and interesting lighting for capturing images of the waves. The more aerobically oriented hiked the nearby peak for views all the way back to San Carlos where our trip began just a few days ago.
In the afternoon we relaxed and enjoyed the gentle rocking of the ship as the swell pushed us south. Those of us who spent time on the bow were rewarded for our efforts.
Sometimes, seemingly out of nowhere, common dolphins raced and leaped to catch up with the ship, all for the “free ride” once they got here. It was hard to know who was having more fun, the dolphins being pushed by our pressure wave or all of us leaning over the bow to watch them! Another time we came upon a feeding frenzy of gulls and shearwaters, and as we got closer we realized that some Humboldt squid were participating too.
When we left San Ignacio Lagoon yesterday, we had over 310 nautical miles to travel just to reach the tip of the peninsula, and then many more miles north to get to the islands in the Gulf of California. But today we were in neither of those places, and we were happy with being in the moment and seeing what the moment brought.
