HAPPY NEW YEAR! FELIZ AŃO NUEVO!
Our first day of 2002, and final day of the voyage brought us wonderful new experiences, concentrated around the Espiritu Santo island system. Just after breakfast we zipped over to Ensenada Grande, an exquisite beach on Isla Partida’s west coast. Between long challenging hikes, leisurely kayak excursions, and general enjoyment of this pristine white beach, we could barely tear ourselves away for lunch. We had, however, a date with some sea lions.
Los Islotes, the northernmost outcropping of the Espiritu Santo island system, towers 46’ above the surrounding waters. An ideal spot for nesting boobies, its red spires are frosted with guano. This guano fertilizes the phytoplankton in the water below supporting a rich, highly productive food chain, and hence, a superb snorkeling site. California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) have known about this rocky islet for generations, and use the lower sloping rocks as a haul out for giving birth to pups and mating. Though the actual breeding season isn’t for a few months, we were delighted to see dozens of these large pinnipeds basking in the Baja sun and even interacting with us as we snorkeled!
It was a thrilling end to an incredible adventure. After the Captain’s farewell dinner, as the gibbous moon rose dramatically over the horizon, we turned our thoughts towards home and our next great expedition.
Our first day of 2002, and final day of the voyage brought us wonderful new experiences, concentrated around the Espiritu Santo island system. Just after breakfast we zipped over to Ensenada Grande, an exquisite beach on Isla Partida’s west coast. Between long challenging hikes, leisurely kayak excursions, and general enjoyment of this pristine white beach, we could barely tear ourselves away for lunch. We had, however, a date with some sea lions.
Los Islotes, the northernmost outcropping of the Espiritu Santo island system, towers 46’ above the surrounding waters. An ideal spot for nesting boobies, its red spires are frosted with guano. This guano fertilizes the phytoplankton in the water below supporting a rich, highly productive food chain, and hence, a superb snorkeling site. California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) have known about this rocky islet for generations, and use the lower sloping rocks as a haul out for giving birth to pups and mating. Though the actual breeding season isn’t for a few months, we were delighted to see dozens of these large pinnipeds basking in the Baja sun and even interacting with us as we snorkeled!
It was a thrilling end to an incredible adventure. After the Captain’s farewell dinner, as the gibbous moon rose dramatically over the horizon, we turned our thoughts towards home and our next great expedition.
