Isla San Esteban and San Pedro Martir
Dawn found us on Isla San Esteban with yellow-footed gulls perched on cardon cacti for the foreground of a colorful sunrise over a perfectly glassy sea. As the sun warmed the island, giant chuckwallas and large spiny-tailed iguanas came out for their solar cups of coffee. Things heated up and we began seeing the large lizards atop the cardons feeding on freshly bloomed white flowers.
The afternoon was spent heading toward San Pedro Martir where we fully intended to cruise in the Zodiacs. However, a large splash to the east captured our attention and we discovered that whales were surfacing in the distance. Excitement grew on the bow as we began to perceive that the blows were possibly directed sideways, a sure sign of the whales we all wanted to see.
The ship drew nearer and it was finally confirmed. We had a large group of sperm whales at the surface with bottlenose dolphins splashing all around them. As the ship cruised toward the whales, the dolphins came in to ride the bow. As they rode, they periodically breached out of the water in such high leaps that we felt we could almost touch them.
We spent hours watching the sperm whales and their calves surface and breathe and dive and fluke. The dolphins surrounded us throughout the evening and entertained us with spectacular gymnastics. As the sun neared the horizon we repositioned toward San Pedro Martir and the dolphins accompanied us toward the famed white rock now gleaming golden in the day’s last rays of light. We stood on the bow and watched the sun set in a spectacular green flash that marked the close of a spectacular Baja adventure.
Dawn found us on Isla San Esteban with yellow-footed gulls perched on cardon cacti for the foreground of a colorful sunrise over a perfectly glassy sea. As the sun warmed the island, giant chuckwallas and large spiny-tailed iguanas came out for their solar cups of coffee. Things heated up and we began seeing the large lizards atop the cardons feeding on freshly bloomed white flowers.
The afternoon was spent heading toward San Pedro Martir where we fully intended to cruise in the Zodiacs. However, a large splash to the east captured our attention and we discovered that whales were surfacing in the distance. Excitement grew on the bow as we began to perceive that the blows were possibly directed sideways, a sure sign of the whales we all wanted to see.
The ship drew nearer and it was finally confirmed. We had a large group of sperm whales at the surface with bottlenose dolphins splashing all around them. As the ship cruised toward the whales, the dolphins came in to ride the bow. As they rode, they periodically breached out of the water in such high leaps that we felt we could almost touch them.
We spent hours watching the sperm whales and their calves surface and breathe and dive and fluke. The dolphins surrounded us throughout the evening and entertained us with spectacular gymnastics. As the sun neared the horizon we repositioned toward San Pedro Martir and the dolphins accompanied us toward the famed white rock now gleaming golden in the day’s last rays of light. We stood on the bow and watched the sun set in a spectacular green flash that marked the close of a spectacular Baja adventure.
