Los Islotes / Isla Espiritu Santo
This morning a green flash greeted us to start the second day of the year. We anchored near the California sea lion colony called “Los Islotes.” These islets are located north from Isla Partida, and were formed by volcanic ashes that fused together called “welded tuffs.” Los Islotes is not only an important site for sea lions but also for birds. We could see that from the distance, since most of the rocks are covered by guano. Magnificent frigate birds, yellow footed gulls, turkey vultures and peregrine falcons were seen today while cruising on our Zodiacs near the rocks.
After the interpretive cruises, we had the opportunity to enter the sea lion’s underwater world. We could see big numbers of different species of fish. Occasionally the curious sea lions would approach our face masks and turn suddenly a few inches from our eyes. They do seem to enjoy interacting with humans as much as we enjoy interacting with them. Another thing one of the youngsters enjoyed was chewing the bottom of our Zodiacs, just like a little kid chewing gum.
We cruised during the afternoon to find a big group of long-beaked common dolphins. The ship was literally engulfed inside the pod while the bow-cam was our underwater eye. It felt like if we were bow riding with them!
We spent some time at Dispensa, a nice and peaceful beach on isla Espiritu Santo. We enjoyed walking on the beach. And once again, the sinking sun gave us a green flash to end our trip.
This morning a green flash greeted us to start the second day of the year. We anchored near the California sea lion colony called “Los Islotes.” These islets are located north from Isla Partida, and were formed by volcanic ashes that fused together called “welded tuffs.” Los Islotes is not only an important site for sea lions but also for birds. We could see that from the distance, since most of the rocks are covered by guano. Magnificent frigate birds, yellow footed gulls, turkey vultures and peregrine falcons were seen today while cruising on our Zodiacs near the rocks.
After the interpretive cruises, we had the opportunity to enter the sea lion’s underwater world. We could see big numbers of different species of fish. Occasionally the curious sea lions would approach our face masks and turn suddenly a few inches from our eyes. They do seem to enjoy interacting with humans as much as we enjoy interacting with them. Another thing one of the youngsters enjoyed was chewing the bottom of our Zodiacs, just like a little kid chewing gum.
We cruised during the afternoon to find a big group of long-beaked common dolphins. The ship was literally engulfed inside the pod while the bow-cam was our underwater eye. It felt like if we were bow riding with them!
We spent some time at Dispensa, a nice and peaceful beach on isla Espiritu Santo. We enjoyed walking on the beach. And once again, the sinking sun gave us a green flash to end our trip.
