Bahia Alacran and Isla Rasa
We woke to perfect conditions at Alacran, a long stretch of sandy beach on the Baja peninsula. Flat calm water and cool morning temperatures encouraged us to explore the area by foot and kayak and snorkel. Hikers spied elephant trees, a Baja endemic, leaning into rocky hillsides. Nearby, ocotillo plants from the north sat next to their southern cousins, palo adans, in a rare overlap. Everywhere there were fossils embedded in the raised Pleistocene marine terrace that rose above the beach.
Kayakers enjoyed calm turquoise waters and a grand view of the mountainous spine of the Baja peninsula. Brave snorkelers dipped into the rather cool water and were rewarded with a spectacular garden of algaes and gorgonians and numerous fish and sea stars that lived amongst them.
As we concluded our explorations, the ship cruised out of the bay and we had an extraordinary sighting. A group of Risso’s dolphins gently plied the waters in front of us. We slowed to watch these animals that are quite rare in the Gulf of California. Light gray, blunt-nosed, and large-sized, they were remarkably distinctive and easy to spot, even as they swam underwater. They surfaced frequently right alongside us and the most exciting moment came when one of them half-breached eight times in succession, giving us good looks and dramatic splashes.
We cruised from there toward Isla Rasa while Omar Vidal and Miguel Angel Cisneros, both from the World Wildlife Fund, spoke about the projects and priorities targeted for conservation efforts in Mexico. Not surprisingly, the incredibly rich, abundantly diverse Gulf of California is a top priority and considered one of the most important ecological regions on the planet. It was refreshing to hear of the efforts devoted to preserving this remarkable place that we have the privilege of experiencing.
Miguel then briefed us on Isla Rasa and fittingly, the ship was just cruising toward its anchorage there as we went out on deck. We could see the activity and hear the cries of the hundreds of thousands of residents of this small island. We boarded the Zodiacs to get a closer look, circumnavigating this half-mile square of flat rock, home to 95% of the world’s populations of both Heermann’s gulls and elegant terns.
It was a busy scene of birds flying to and from the rock. All along the perimeter, terns and gulls preened and bathed and we spied many pairs of elegant terns performing courtship and mating rituals. Then, along one rocky cliff, one of the resident peregrine falcons was sighted. A fearsome predator of the birds, we watched as it flew over the rocks, causing birds to stream into the air in droves. It flew back and forth and was most easily found by scanning the sky just above the thickest swarms of birds. Finally it landed atop a cardon cactus and relative calm returned to the island.
We cruised back to the ship as the sun sank toward the mountainous skyline of the Baja peninsula, completing our day here in the rich midriff of the Gulf of California.
We woke to perfect conditions at Alacran, a long stretch of sandy beach on the Baja peninsula. Flat calm water and cool morning temperatures encouraged us to explore the area by foot and kayak and snorkel. Hikers spied elephant trees, a Baja endemic, leaning into rocky hillsides. Nearby, ocotillo plants from the north sat next to their southern cousins, palo adans, in a rare overlap. Everywhere there were fossils embedded in the raised Pleistocene marine terrace that rose above the beach.
Kayakers enjoyed calm turquoise waters and a grand view of the mountainous spine of the Baja peninsula. Brave snorkelers dipped into the rather cool water and were rewarded with a spectacular garden of algaes and gorgonians and numerous fish and sea stars that lived amongst them.
As we concluded our explorations, the ship cruised out of the bay and we had an extraordinary sighting. A group of Risso’s dolphins gently plied the waters in front of us. We slowed to watch these animals that are quite rare in the Gulf of California. Light gray, blunt-nosed, and large-sized, they were remarkably distinctive and easy to spot, even as they swam underwater. They surfaced frequently right alongside us and the most exciting moment came when one of them half-breached eight times in succession, giving us good looks and dramatic splashes.
We cruised from there toward Isla Rasa while Omar Vidal and Miguel Angel Cisneros, both from the World Wildlife Fund, spoke about the projects and priorities targeted for conservation efforts in Mexico. Not surprisingly, the incredibly rich, abundantly diverse Gulf of California is a top priority and considered one of the most important ecological regions on the planet. It was refreshing to hear of the efforts devoted to preserving this remarkable place that we have the privilege of experiencing.
Miguel then briefed us on Isla Rasa and fittingly, the ship was just cruising toward its anchorage there as we went out on deck. We could see the activity and hear the cries of the hundreds of thousands of residents of this small island. We boarded the Zodiacs to get a closer look, circumnavigating this half-mile square of flat rock, home to 95% of the world’s populations of both Heermann’s gulls and elegant terns.
It was a busy scene of birds flying to and from the rock. All along the perimeter, terns and gulls preened and bathed and we spied many pairs of elegant terns performing courtship and mating rituals. Then, along one rocky cliff, one of the resident peregrine falcons was sighted. A fearsome predator of the birds, we watched as it flew over the rocks, causing birds to stream into the air in droves. It flew back and forth and was most easily found by scanning the sky just above the thickest swarms of birds. Finally it landed atop a cardon cactus and relative calm returned to the island.
We cruised back to the ship as the sun sank toward the mountainous skyline of the Baja peninsula, completing our day here in the rich midriff of the Gulf of California.
