Los Corrales
Waves are the result of the strength, duration, and surface area over which the prevailing wind blows (fetch). Since the surface of the Gulf of California was like a placid lake, the air was still and you could almost feel the calmness of the sea as you could see your own shadow clearly while looking over the bow for a glimpse into the secret world which lies below the surface in the sunlit photic zone. As the gentle light rays shimmered, the calmness was broken by the sound of breathing in the distance. A loud exhalation marked the presence of the second largest marine mammal in the world… a fin whale (Balaenoptera musculus). This Cetacean in the family Balaenopteridae reaches a size of about 85 feet as an adult and weights 100 tons. We were amazed to see a pair of these baleen whales just leisurely breaking the surface 150 feet from the ship apparently feeding. Guests were trying to take in the fact that this animal was more then half the length of the ship, with a ton of weight per foot. This leviathan has a dorsal fin which is situated on the last third of its body and it looks almost misplaced and in the wrong proportion in comparison to the immensity of its girth.
After breakfast we continued our journey south searching for a new landing site in the vicinity of Los Corrales on the Baja peninsula west of the island of San Pedro Martir. As hikers went ashore for hikes of various durations I decided to scout out a dive location along the Baja Peninsula. Scouting for a new dive location is always exhilarating due to the fact that you are never sure what new adventure awaits upon submergence. As I was looking for structure on the bottom my eye caught an unusual disturbance on the surface. As the Zodiac slowly glided towards the commotion, an adult yellow-footed gull (Larus livens) was caught in the act of furiously trying to swim away with a prized eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) carcass. At this moment, I realized the challenges faced by organisms that interact in this air – sea interface. For example, the difficulty swimming through a medium that is 800 times denser then air. The decision to struggle to swim with a meal that is too large, in-order to keep all other predators from having the chance of sharing. Being a sea bird is not an easy life, but the loss of grace of this bird while not flying made this point more poignant in my mind.
After a deck barbecue and a wonderful lecture on the adaptations of plants in the desert, we were treated to the antics of common long-beaked dolphins pushing bait fish into a dense mass on the surface while boobies shot down like arrows from above. Finally everyone enjoyed a relaxing dinner and some guests went for a quick stroll in the town of Santa Rosalia before tucking themselves under the covers with thoughts of the possible events that tomorrow will reveal.
Waves are the result of the strength, duration, and surface area over which the prevailing wind blows (fetch). Since the surface of the Gulf of California was like a placid lake, the air was still and you could almost feel the calmness of the sea as you could see your own shadow clearly while looking over the bow for a glimpse into the secret world which lies below the surface in the sunlit photic zone. As the gentle light rays shimmered, the calmness was broken by the sound of breathing in the distance. A loud exhalation marked the presence of the second largest marine mammal in the world… a fin whale (Balaenoptera musculus). This Cetacean in the family Balaenopteridae reaches a size of about 85 feet as an adult and weights 100 tons. We were amazed to see a pair of these baleen whales just leisurely breaking the surface 150 feet from the ship apparently feeding. Guests were trying to take in the fact that this animal was more then half the length of the ship, with a ton of weight per foot. This leviathan has a dorsal fin which is situated on the last third of its body and it looks almost misplaced and in the wrong proportion in comparison to the immensity of its girth.
After breakfast we continued our journey south searching for a new landing site in the vicinity of Los Corrales on the Baja peninsula west of the island of San Pedro Martir. As hikers went ashore for hikes of various durations I decided to scout out a dive location along the Baja Peninsula. Scouting for a new dive location is always exhilarating due to the fact that you are never sure what new adventure awaits upon submergence. As I was looking for structure on the bottom my eye caught an unusual disturbance on the surface. As the Zodiac slowly glided towards the commotion, an adult yellow-footed gull (Larus livens) was caught in the act of furiously trying to swim away with a prized eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) carcass. At this moment, I realized the challenges faced by organisms that interact in this air – sea interface. For example, the difficulty swimming through a medium that is 800 times denser then air. The decision to struggle to swim with a meal that is too large, in-order to keep all other predators from having the chance of sharing. Being a sea bird is not an easy life, but the loss of grace of this bird while not flying made this point more poignant in my mind.
After a deck barbecue and a wonderful lecture on the adaptations of plants in the desert, we were treated to the antics of common long-beaked dolphins pushing bait fish into a dense mass on the surface while boobies shot down like arrows from above. Finally everyone enjoyed a relaxing dinner and some guests went for a quick stroll in the town of Santa Rosalia before tucking themselves under the covers with thoughts of the possible events that tomorrow will reveal.
