Isla Espiritu Santo
Our first day of the trip sailing through the Gulf of California. The morning greeted us at “Punta Despensa”, the South end of Isla Espiritu Santo. A few clouds were in the sky, the sun was not too bright, but actually perfect conditions to spend all morning onshore enjoying the beauty of this place.
Out fleet of kayaks were laid out on the beach, and many of us decided to explore the shore line of the island and venture through the crystal clear waters of the bay. Lots of different species of fishes, colored marine invertebrates, sea birds and shore birds were seen from the kayaks, making our experience very entertaining. Some others decided to go on hikes through the desert, long and medium walks were offered, having the opportunity to meet and learn about the desert plants and their wonderful adaptations to their environment. Many people came back very happy after seeing several species of birds, among these were the gnatcatchers, plovers and sand pipers. For those of us who came back from kayaking, timing was perfect, since we were able to go on a short walk along the sandy beach, finding all kinds of treasures; colorful shells, detailed designed snails, fish bones, coral, red tipped fire worms and this fragile and delicate “Paper Nautilus” (Argonauta sp), which is truly a gem. In the first place its very rare to find, second to find it in such good shape and if that hadn’t been enough, to find it with the eggs inside… was quite lucky!!!
Argonauts are close relatives of the octopuses, and we know there are three different species found in the Sea of Cortez, but unfortunately not much more is known about their lives, except that this beautiful, delicate shell is built by the female Argonaut as a chamber-cradle for her eggs. The afternoon was spent at Los Islotes, islet full of life; California Sea Lions and lots of birds. Adventurous snorkelers played with the sea lion youngsters and some others explored the place by Zodiac… a nice way to end the first day of the trip.....
Our first day of the trip sailing through the Gulf of California. The morning greeted us at “Punta Despensa”, the South end of Isla Espiritu Santo. A few clouds were in the sky, the sun was not too bright, but actually perfect conditions to spend all morning onshore enjoying the beauty of this place.
Out fleet of kayaks were laid out on the beach, and many of us decided to explore the shore line of the island and venture through the crystal clear waters of the bay. Lots of different species of fishes, colored marine invertebrates, sea birds and shore birds were seen from the kayaks, making our experience very entertaining. Some others decided to go on hikes through the desert, long and medium walks were offered, having the opportunity to meet and learn about the desert plants and their wonderful adaptations to their environment. Many people came back very happy after seeing several species of birds, among these were the gnatcatchers, plovers and sand pipers. For those of us who came back from kayaking, timing was perfect, since we were able to go on a short walk along the sandy beach, finding all kinds of treasures; colorful shells, detailed designed snails, fish bones, coral, red tipped fire worms and this fragile and delicate “Paper Nautilus” (Argonauta sp), which is truly a gem. In the first place its very rare to find, second to find it in such good shape and if that hadn’t been enough, to find it with the eggs inside… was quite lucky!!!
Argonauts are close relatives of the octopuses, and we know there are three different species found in the Sea of Cortez, but unfortunately not much more is known about their lives, except that this beautiful, delicate shell is built by the female Argonaut as a chamber-cradle for her eggs. The afternoon was spent at Los Islotes, islet full of life; California Sea Lions and lots of birds. Adventurous snorkelers played with the sea lion youngsters and some others explored the place by Zodiac… a nice way to end the first day of the trip.....
