Off of Isla del Carmen, the Gulf of California
What a spectacular beginning to our voyage! We had come hoping … dare we say expecting? … to see the great whales and other marine mammals, the stunning scenery, the desert in bloom, but one can never be sure. Even in the early morning, as we gathered on the bow of the Sea Bird to watch our first Baja California sunrise, there were signs that this was to be a special trip, for the first light revealed long-beaked common dolphins all around the ship – tens, hundreds, a thousand or more! They were spread over the water busily feeding on small schooling fish. The dolphins would dive and herd the fish into a compact school at the surface, and then dive in for their breakfast. The fish at the surface attracted hordes of birds as well – brown pelicans, Heerman’s and yellow-footed gulls, cormorants, boobies, and frigatebirds all engaged in a feeding frenzy, in Spanish a “comedero” (from “comer” meaning “to eat”).
And then came the sunrise. Our attention was directed to the east as the rising sun neared the horizon. As the top of the solar disk first came into view we were rewarded with the sight of a violet-tinged green flash. Skeptics became believers. The morning light illuminated the red volcanic deposits that form the Sierra de la Giganta – the Mountains of the Giantess –on the Baja California Peninsula to the west. Geology – a talk on the development of this improbable sliver of land – competed with whales, and the whales won. Before the morning was over we had added blue whales – the enormous monarchs of the sea, fin whales, Bryde’s whales, and humpbacked whales to our experience. Whale anxiety was assuaged as we stood on the bow in awe of these magnificent behemoths of the sea and learned the attributes by which they may be distinguished. The productive waters of the Gulf of California are truly a world treasure, and we applaud the efforts of the Mexican Government to preserve them.
All of this before lunch! The afternoon brought our first snorkeling opportunity and a walk through a desert arroyo green from recent rains on Isla Santa Catalina … crying out for more superlatives, but I am out of space!
What a spectacular beginning to our voyage! We had come hoping … dare we say expecting? … to see the great whales and other marine mammals, the stunning scenery, the desert in bloom, but one can never be sure. Even in the early morning, as we gathered on the bow of the Sea Bird to watch our first Baja California sunrise, there were signs that this was to be a special trip, for the first light revealed long-beaked common dolphins all around the ship – tens, hundreds, a thousand or more! They were spread over the water busily feeding on small schooling fish. The dolphins would dive and herd the fish into a compact school at the surface, and then dive in for their breakfast. The fish at the surface attracted hordes of birds as well – brown pelicans, Heerman’s and yellow-footed gulls, cormorants, boobies, and frigatebirds all engaged in a feeding frenzy, in Spanish a “comedero” (from “comer” meaning “to eat”).
And then came the sunrise. Our attention was directed to the east as the rising sun neared the horizon. As the top of the solar disk first came into view we were rewarded with the sight of a violet-tinged green flash. Skeptics became believers. The morning light illuminated the red volcanic deposits that form the Sierra de la Giganta – the Mountains of the Giantess –on the Baja California Peninsula to the west. Geology – a talk on the development of this improbable sliver of land – competed with whales, and the whales won. Before the morning was over we had added blue whales – the enormous monarchs of the sea, fin whales, Bryde’s whales, and humpbacked whales to our experience. Whale anxiety was assuaged as we stood on the bow in awe of these magnificent behemoths of the sea and learned the attributes by which they may be distinguished. The productive waters of the Gulf of California are truly a world treasure, and we applaud the efforts of the Mexican Government to preserve them.
All of this before lunch! The afternoon brought our first snorkeling opportunity and a walk through a desert arroyo green from recent rains on Isla Santa Catalina … crying out for more superlatives, but I am out of space!
