Isla San Esteban
We Zodiaced ashore under the last minutes of starlight to see the perfect sunrise at Isla San Esteban. The favorable weather that has charmed our trip continued for yet another day. After exploring in the early morning we returned to the ship for a special deck breakfast under a gentle breeze and with the spectacular view of the rocky slopes of Isla San Esteban.
Afterward we hiked the island’s desert terrain looking for its host of endemic species including giant chuckwallas and spiny-tailed iguanas. Both species of lizard can reach three feet in length and we found them climbing cacti, sunning on rocky slopes and dashing right in front of us.
And just as we began to feel the heat of the day, it was time to get back to our cool little ship and begin our afternoon of cruising. The waters were glassy as we sailed smoothly toward Isla San Pedro Martir. This guano-encrusted monolith lies in the middle of the gulf and is hub for thousands of seabirds that radiate out to fish in the rich waters that surround it.
We neared its cliffs as did large groups of both blue-footed and brown boobies. Here and there we spied red-billed tropicbirds, arguably the gulf’s most beautiful seabird with its bright white plumage, striking red beak and long, streaming tail feathers that mark its breeding plumage. The closer we got to the cliffs, the more tropicbirds we spied and we craned our necks and cameras to see them as they made close flights all around us. Their high-pitched cries contrasted with the bellows of sea lions that echoed against these cliffs teeming with wildlife.
After a good long look, we pulled away to explore the rich waters surrounding the island. Numerous pods of bottle-nose dolphins came in to swim with us and we spent much of our time hanging over the bow watching them.
Then naturalist Linda Burback cried that there was a “geyserfield of whale blows!” just ahead. We all came on deck to watch as the ship neared a sizable group of sperm whales logging at the surface. We cruised around the area, watching them surface and log and then dive.
We thought it was the peak moment when a group of three adult whales surfaced and breathed together, traveling alongside the ship and undulating through the water with each breath. They finally dove, raising their tail flukes in sequence, to the tune of cheers from our deck.
But the real finale of the trip was still to come. After some time waiting, we once again saw whales coming to the surface. Soon another group of three whales swam right in front of the ship. This group included a sizable male animal flanked by two females. They breathed and swam in unison and stayed at the surface long enough for all of us to see their enormity and yet the grace with which they moved through the water. Breathless, we watched as they began making deeper movements and then finally, the male raised his tail flukes high in the air and, together with the two females, dove out of sight. We cheered again, knowing that this final salute was the perfect finish to our incredible voyage.
We Zodiaced ashore under the last minutes of starlight to see the perfect sunrise at Isla San Esteban. The favorable weather that has charmed our trip continued for yet another day. After exploring in the early morning we returned to the ship for a special deck breakfast under a gentle breeze and with the spectacular view of the rocky slopes of Isla San Esteban.
Afterward we hiked the island’s desert terrain looking for its host of endemic species including giant chuckwallas and spiny-tailed iguanas. Both species of lizard can reach three feet in length and we found them climbing cacti, sunning on rocky slopes and dashing right in front of us.
And just as we began to feel the heat of the day, it was time to get back to our cool little ship and begin our afternoon of cruising. The waters were glassy as we sailed smoothly toward Isla San Pedro Martir. This guano-encrusted monolith lies in the middle of the gulf and is hub for thousands of seabirds that radiate out to fish in the rich waters that surround it.
We neared its cliffs as did large groups of both blue-footed and brown boobies. Here and there we spied red-billed tropicbirds, arguably the gulf’s most beautiful seabird with its bright white plumage, striking red beak and long, streaming tail feathers that mark its breeding plumage. The closer we got to the cliffs, the more tropicbirds we spied and we craned our necks and cameras to see them as they made close flights all around us. Their high-pitched cries contrasted with the bellows of sea lions that echoed against these cliffs teeming with wildlife.
After a good long look, we pulled away to explore the rich waters surrounding the island. Numerous pods of bottle-nose dolphins came in to swim with us and we spent much of our time hanging over the bow watching them.
Then naturalist Linda Burback cried that there was a “geyserfield of whale blows!” just ahead. We all came on deck to watch as the ship neared a sizable group of sperm whales logging at the surface. We cruised around the area, watching them surface and log and then dive.
We thought it was the peak moment when a group of three adult whales surfaced and breathed together, traveling alongside the ship and undulating through the water with each breath. They finally dove, raising their tail flukes in sequence, to the tune of cheers from our deck.
But the real finale of the trip was still to come. After some time waiting, we once again saw whales coming to the surface. Soon another group of three whales swam right in front of the ship. This group included a sizable male animal flanked by two females. They breathed and swam in unison and stayed at the surface long enough for all of us to see their enormity and yet the grace with which they moved through the water. Breathless, we watched as they began making deeper movements and then finally, the male raised his tail flukes high in the air and, together with the two females, dove out of sight. We cheered again, knowing that this final salute was the perfect finish to our incredible voyage.
