Punta Gato, Baja Peninsula
As dawn’s first light illuminated the Sierra de la Giganta mountains, we were motoring toward Punta Gato, a protected bay on the Baja Peninsula. The bay is surrounded by volcanic cliffs and plateaus reminiscent of many deserts of the southwestern U.S. After breakfast, we landed ashore to explore this wonderful bay and its arroyo, which has some unique flora and fauna that are different than what we had previously seen on various islands.
One surprise was a dead sperm whale that had washed up on the far end of the beach (the sperm whale is visible toward the top of the photo). Although the whale was in a state of decomposition, its impressively large body was clearly visible. Its echolocation chamber—the majority of its head—was intact and a few of its vertebrae had been separated from its body, which lay close by. The smell of decomposition was thick in the air, but many of us braved it to be able to get close and examine this once-living toothed whale.
The morning’s activities included kayaking and various hikes with the naturalists. The bright red rocks of ancient sand dunes were one destination, and the group agreed that “red rock canyon” would be a perfect name for this particular arroyo. After some strenuous hiking/kayaking, many enjoyed swimming in the shallow water where sea lions were frolicking; others beachcombed or enjoyed soaking up the warm sun.
After lunch, we went searching for more marine animals. Once we had swung around Isla Santa Cruz, a large pod of common dolphins was spotted. As we headed toward them, we could see lots of splashing from all of their jumping and when they spotted us, they came racing over. Many rode directly in front of the ship, performing what appeared to be a choreographed dance, all the time echolocating and communicating with each other. In all, there were probably more than 200 dolphins (including many younger ones) surrounding the ship—it was quite an impressive sight!
Cruising further south, we sighted more dolphins, but this time it was a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins. These dolphins are larger in size than the common dolphins we had sighted earlier, giving us a good basis for comparison. After observing them for some time, we continued motoring south toward our next protected anchorage on Isla Partida. Meanwhile, the sun began to set behind the Sierra de la Giganta mountains, casting a brilliant vermillion color on the clouds high above. It was a fitting end to such a wonderful day in Baja.
As dawn’s first light illuminated the Sierra de la Giganta mountains, we were motoring toward Punta Gato, a protected bay on the Baja Peninsula. The bay is surrounded by volcanic cliffs and plateaus reminiscent of many deserts of the southwestern U.S. After breakfast, we landed ashore to explore this wonderful bay and its arroyo, which has some unique flora and fauna that are different than what we had previously seen on various islands.
One surprise was a dead sperm whale that had washed up on the far end of the beach (the sperm whale is visible toward the top of the photo). Although the whale was in a state of decomposition, its impressively large body was clearly visible. Its echolocation chamber—the majority of its head—was intact and a few of its vertebrae had been separated from its body, which lay close by. The smell of decomposition was thick in the air, but many of us braved it to be able to get close and examine this once-living toothed whale.
The morning’s activities included kayaking and various hikes with the naturalists. The bright red rocks of ancient sand dunes were one destination, and the group agreed that “red rock canyon” would be a perfect name for this particular arroyo. After some strenuous hiking/kayaking, many enjoyed swimming in the shallow water where sea lions were frolicking; others beachcombed or enjoyed soaking up the warm sun.
After lunch, we went searching for more marine animals. Once we had swung around Isla Santa Cruz, a large pod of common dolphins was spotted. As we headed toward them, we could see lots of splashing from all of their jumping and when they spotted us, they came racing over. Many rode directly in front of the ship, performing what appeared to be a choreographed dance, all the time echolocating and communicating with each other. In all, there were probably more than 200 dolphins (including many younger ones) surrounding the ship—it was quite an impressive sight!
Cruising further south, we sighted more dolphins, but this time it was a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins. These dolphins are larger in size than the common dolphins we had sighted earlier, giving us a good basis for comparison. After observing them for some time, we continued motoring south toward our next protected anchorage on Isla Partida. Meanwhile, the sun began to set behind the Sierra de la Giganta mountains, casting a brilliant vermillion color on the clouds high above. It was a fitting end to such a wonderful day in Baja.
