Cabo San Lucas and Gorda Bank
Pirates once threatened ships cruising near Friar’s Rock, but this morning we rounded the cape of the Baja peninsula greeted by only osprey, pelicans, sea lions and other friends.
After docking in Cabo San Lucas, some of us ventured to a nearby beach and into the waters for a look at what lay beneath. At 67 degrees Fahrenheit, the water was refreshing. We found many urchins, colorful fish, and even octopi on a rocky reef and crabs scampering on the rocks above. Another group searched for birds on land near the shore and spotted 3 endemic species among many others. Still another group opted for a botany walk and found many interesting desert plants. Before leaving port, we all had the chance to wander the streets of the picturesque town where brightly colored pottery, ceramics and fabrics tempted shoppers.
As we headed out to Gorda Bank, naturalist Pete Pederson told the story of “The Great Rip-Off,” explaining the geology of the Baja peninsula. He finished the dramatic tale not long before the first humpback whale came into view. We gathered on deck to watch these fabulous whales and looked expectantly at the horizon, probably much as the whalers did many years ago but armed with cameras instead of harpoons. The humpbacks put on quite a show, displaying their backs, flippers, and flukes and breaching again and again.
As Pete reminded us in his geology talk, humans have been on the planet for a relatively short time. We have, nonetheless, had an amazing and dramatic impact. Our oceans are in trouble. Overfishing, pollution, habitat degradation and global warming all seriously threaten the health of our ocean ecosystems. Seeing so many gray whales in the past few days and so many humpback whales today is wonderfully exciting – and can make us hopeful. Humans hunted these whales to the edge of extinction. Now we delight in their recovery. Certainly we are learning and making improvements with time, but we must do even better. Working together, we can do better.
Pirates once threatened ships cruising near Friar’s Rock, but this morning we rounded the cape of the Baja peninsula greeted by only osprey, pelicans, sea lions and other friends.
After docking in Cabo San Lucas, some of us ventured to a nearby beach and into the waters for a look at what lay beneath. At 67 degrees Fahrenheit, the water was refreshing. We found many urchins, colorful fish, and even octopi on a rocky reef and crabs scampering on the rocks above. Another group searched for birds on land near the shore and spotted 3 endemic species among many others. Still another group opted for a botany walk and found many interesting desert plants. Before leaving port, we all had the chance to wander the streets of the picturesque town where brightly colored pottery, ceramics and fabrics tempted shoppers.
As we headed out to Gorda Bank, naturalist Pete Pederson told the story of “The Great Rip-Off,” explaining the geology of the Baja peninsula. He finished the dramatic tale not long before the first humpback whale came into view. We gathered on deck to watch these fabulous whales and looked expectantly at the horizon, probably much as the whalers did many years ago but armed with cameras instead of harpoons. The humpbacks put on quite a show, displaying their backs, flippers, and flukes and breaching again and again.
As Pete reminded us in his geology talk, humans have been on the planet for a relatively short time. We have, nonetheless, had an amazing and dramatic impact. Our oceans are in trouble. Overfishing, pollution, habitat degradation and global warming all seriously threaten the health of our ocean ecosystems. Seeing so many gray whales in the past few days and so many humpback whales today is wonderfully exciting – and can make us hopeful. Humans hunted these whales to the edge of extinction. Now we delight in their recovery. Certainly we are learning and making improvements with time, but we must do even better. Working together, we can do better.
