Isla Angel de la Guarda
Morning found us cruising gently in flat calm water along the dramatic shores of Isla Angel de la Guarda. Just after breakfast we came across hundreds of common dolphins and we all gathered on the bow to watch them swim with the ship. They moved leisurely at times and at other times they sped and jumped and slapped their tails in frenzied fast-paced chases. Seabirds hovered attentively and dove into the fray. The water was so clear that at times, we could see fish darting and dolphins racing beneath the surface.
As we watched, the ship slowly neared the layered peaks of Angel de la Guarda. These volcanic formations of soft orange, olive green, peach tones, and cream colors provided the quintessential Baja backdrop for the amazing dolphin spectacle. We considered pulling away many times but the scene got better and better until, after two hours, we stood in near-silence watching the exquisite scene of colorfully layered cliffs reflected in flat calm seas splashed by countless dolphins. It was Baja at its best.
Finally we turned toward our afternoon destination but didn’t get very far before we came across several fin whales surfacing and diving. Suddenly we glimpsed an enormous splash several miles away and watched as a cow and calf Bryde’s whale sped toward us and then past us, periodically surfacing for quick breaths in enormous, splashing leaps. Then we noticed a fin whale moving quickly in the same direction. This whale caused gasps and cries on the bow as it surfaced right in front of us several times before going down for a deeper dive. We scanned the horizon in the direction these whales swam from, trying to see what might have caused them to speed so determinedly, but we saw nothing but perfectly calm water for miles and miles.
With that, we watched several more surfacings and then motored on toward Isla Rasa. Last year we stopped at this densely populated seabird breeding island only to find it a ghost town. The El Nino year of 2003 caused a shift in the local marine productivity that prevented the half million resident birds from successfully breeding. We neared the island, our hopes high that this year’s nesting activity would be restored to its usual spectacular proportions.
We neared this hub of seabird activity accompanied by groups of incoming Heermann’s gulls and Elegant terns. Soon we were able to spy numerous birds swarming above the rocks and we could hear their cries. It appeared to be business-as-usual at Isla Rasa, much to our delight.
We went ashore for a careful hike among the Heermann’s gull nests which are as densely placed as in any gull colony in the world. Staying close together and watching every step, we climbed a small hill to overlook the densely-packed visual cacophony of elegant terns, nesting shoulder to shoulder on a flat valley floor.
We were accompanied on our walk by researchers who are on the island to monitor the breeding population of the nearly half million birds. Led by Enriqueta Velarde PhD, they have studied the feeding behavior and breeding success of these birds for the past 25 years. Their work has proved an important indicator of the health of the local sardine fishery and contributes to an effort to keep the Gulf’s spectacular marine productivity in balance.
The dolphins of this morning, the seabird spectacle and much of the beauty we have witnessed during our voyage here stem, in part, from this remarkably rich fishery. It was a privilege to visit this island where so much effort is devoted to the preservation of all that we have enjoyed during our remarkable journey.
Morning found us cruising gently in flat calm water along the dramatic shores of Isla Angel de la Guarda. Just after breakfast we came across hundreds of common dolphins and we all gathered on the bow to watch them swim with the ship. They moved leisurely at times and at other times they sped and jumped and slapped their tails in frenzied fast-paced chases. Seabirds hovered attentively and dove into the fray. The water was so clear that at times, we could see fish darting and dolphins racing beneath the surface.
As we watched, the ship slowly neared the layered peaks of Angel de la Guarda. These volcanic formations of soft orange, olive green, peach tones, and cream colors provided the quintessential Baja backdrop for the amazing dolphin spectacle. We considered pulling away many times but the scene got better and better until, after two hours, we stood in near-silence watching the exquisite scene of colorfully layered cliffs reflected in flat calm seas splashed by countless dolphins. It was Baja at its best.
Finally we turned toward our afternoon destination but didn’t get very far before we came across several fin whales surfacing and diving. Suddenly we glimpsed an enormous splash several miles away and watched as a cow and calf Bryde’s whale sped toward us and then past us, periodically surfacing for quick breaths in enormous, splashing leaps. Then we noticed a fin whale moving quickly in the same direction. This whale caused gasps and cries on the bow as it surfaced right in front of us several times before going down for a deeper dive. We scanned the horizon in the direction these whales swam from, trying to see what might have caused them to speed so determinedly, but we saw nothing but perfectly calm water for miles and miles.
With that, we watched several more surfacings and then motored on toward Isla Rasa. Last year we stopped at this densely populated seabird breeding island only to find it a ghost town. The El Nino year of 2003 caused a shift in the local marine productivity that prevented the half million resident birds from successfully breeding. We neared the island, our hopes high that this year’s nesting activity would be restored to its usual spectacular proportions.
We neared this hub of seabird activity accompanied by groups of incoming Heermann’s gulls and Elegant terns. Soon we were able to spy numerous birds swarming above the rocks and we could hear their cries. It appeared to be business-as-usual at Isla Rasa, much to our delight.
We went ashore for a careful hike among the Heermann’s gull nests which are as densely placed as in any gull colony in the world. Staying close together and watching every step, we climbed a small hill to overlook the densely-packed visual cacophony of elegant terns, nesting shoulder to shoulder on a flat valley floor.
We were accompanied on our walk by researchers who are on the island to monitor the breeding population of the nearly half million birds. Led by Enriqueta Velarde PhD, they have studied the feeding behavior and breeding success of these birds for the past 25 years. Their work has proved an important indicator of the health of the local sardine fishery and contributes to an effort to keep the Gulf’s spectacular marine productivity in balance.
The dolphins of this morning, the seabird spectacle and much of the beauty we have witnessed during our voyage here stem, in part, from this remarkably rich fishery. It was a privilege to visit this island where so much effort is devoted to the preservation of all that we have enjoyed during our remarkable journey.
