Isla Santa Catalina
We awoke at Isla Santa Catalina, where we quickly went ashore to capture the early morning light. Catalina is an extra special island due to its oceanic origin and many endemic species. Lindblad Expeditions has chosen to “adopt” this island in the Baja Forever! campaign that is working on conservation in the Gulf of California. We quickly realized why this island was chosen as we landed and immediately set off to explore the extensive cactus gardens. Many images were shot of the light dancing off the magnificent barrel and cardon cactuses. Birds and lizards were abundant. While examining a flowering passion fruit being visited by an elegant orange butterfly, the lead group of hikers nearly stumbled upon a snake. But this was no ordinary snake. This was the endemic rattleless rattlesnake. Curled in a cryptic circle to catch the morning heat of the sun, this incredible creature slithered off and showed it’s stubby, naked tail before seeking refuge in the nearby arroyo bank. Word was spread and many people flocked to this exciting and rare sighting.
As the temperature rose, many of us flocked to the snorkeling area just under Elephant Rock. A large school of king angels welcomed our snorkelers to a clear and glassy flat, boulder-strewn area that was filled with fish and invertebrates. Sea urchins grazed on algae while sergeant majors fed on passing plankton. While giant damsels defended their nests and snappers lazed underneath the rocks, we returned to the Sea Bird for lunch and an afternoon nap as the ship set sail for northern waters.
Well, we didn’t make it far as we quickly spotted many mobula rays gliding beneath the smooth water. Then a group of bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales were discovered and we spent the next two hours surrounded by them. They continually circled the boat and had us following them running around the deck to capture that perfect image. Conditions were ideal and a Zodiac was dropped so we could attempt to get some underwater footage of these cetaceans. A number of times pilot whales passed close by, rolling over to investigate me, this strange creature to their world, and even pinging me with their sonar. As we were looking for another group of pilot whales, a strange shape appeared on the surface. Sailfish! This marlin relative was lazily cruising beneath the surface and I was lucky to slip in with it and capture some footage to share with everyone during the evening recap.
As we moved on, we prepared for a lecture, but were quickly interrupted by a distant breaching sperm whale. We moved in closer and were surrounded by these largest of toothed whales. Excellent views were had of at least four mom-calf pairs and our captain expertly positioned us, even well enough to see one of the calves on its side underwater. There were at least fifteen whales in the area and we spent more than an hour with them, before heading off and leaving them to dive to great depths to hunt for squid.
As the sun began to dip towards the horizon, we made our way north and passed along the way marlin, mahi-mahi, a turtle, and a few distant dwarf sperm whales. The sun set with a double green flash split by the Sierra de la Giganta mountains, and was soon followed by an orange full moon rise. It is easy to see why Baja is such a magical place and draws us back time and time again.
We awoke at Isla Santa Catalina, where we quickly went ashore to capture the early morning light. Catalina is an extra special island due to its oceanic origin and many endemic species. Lindblad Expeditions has chosen to “adopt” this island in the Baja Forever! campaign that is working on conservation in the Gulf of California. We quickly realized why this island was chosen as we landed and immediately set off to explore the extensive cactus gardens. Many images were shot of the light dancing off the magnificent barrel and cardon cactuses. Birds and lizards were abundant. While examining a flowering passion fruit being visited by an elegant orange butterfly, the lead group of hikers nearly stumbled upon a snake. But this was no ordinary snake. This was the endemic rattleless rattlesnake. Curled in a cryptic circle to catch the morning heat of the sun, this incredible creature slithered off and showed it’s stubby, naked tail before seeking refuge in the nearby arroyo bank. Word was spread and many people flocked to this exciting and rare sighting.
As the temperature rose, many of us flocked to the snorkeling area just under Elephant Rock. A large school of king angels welcomed our snorkelers to a clear and glassy flat, boulder-strewn area that was filled with fish and invertebrates. Sea urchins grazed on algae while sergeant majors fed on passing plankton. While giant damsels defended their nests and snappers lazed underneath the rocks, we returned to the Sea Bird for lunch and an afternoon nap as the ship set sail for northern waters.
Well, we didn’t make it far as we quickly spotted many mobula rays gliding beneath the smooth water. Then a group of bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales were discovered and we spent the next two hours surrounded by them. They continually circled the boat and had us following them running around the deck to capture that perfect image. Conditions were ideal and a Zodiac was dropped so we could attempt to get some underwater footage of these cetaceans. A number of times pilot whales passed close by, rolling over to investigate me, this strange creature to their world, and even pinging me with their sonar. As we were looking for another group of pilot whales, a strange shape appeared on the surface. Sailfish! This marlin relative was lazily cruising beneath the surface and I was lucky to slip in with it and capture some footage to share with everyone during the evening recap.
As we moved on, we prepared for a lecture, but were quickly interrupted by a distant breaching sperm whale. We moved in closer and were surrounded by these largest of toothed whales. Excellent views were had of at least four mom-calf pairs and our captain expertly positioned us, even well enough to see one of the calves on its side underwater. There were at least fifteen whales in the area and we spent more than an hour with them, before heading off and leaving them to dive to great depths to hunt for squid.
As the sun began to dip towards the horizon, we made our way north and passed along the way marlin, mahi-mahi, a turtle, and a few distant dwarf sperm whales. The sun set with a double green flash split by the Sierra de la Giganta mountains, and was soon followed by an orange full moon rise. It is easy to see why Baja is such a magical place and draws us back time and time again.
