Blue Whale near Isla Espiritu Santo
The velvet black of night was pushed away as the eastern horizon began to glow. As the fiery sun first peaked, the green flash (or shall we say green speck) made its brief appearance. A cerulean sky dabbled with fluffy white clouds met a vast, calm, deep blue sea.
Suddenly without warning, a huge exhalation broke the surface and a mist of water vapor rose to catch the early morning glow – such a large blow could only mean blue whale, the largest mammal to ever inhabit the earth. Early risers "oohed" and "aahed," and camera shutters clicked away.
After breakfast, it was time to Zodiac around the tiny, guano-iced Los Islotes, a favored hauling out place for California sea lions. Masses of red krill swirled around the ship and hungry fish shredded the ocean’s surface as yellow-footed gulls, blue-footed and brown boobies, and pelicans joined in the feeding frenzy. High in the sky, magnificent frigatebirds glided silently waiting to harass a satiated bird to make it regurgitate and then to swoop down to catch the warm meal before it hit the water. Higher still, turkey vultures waited patiently for their turn at a meal.
Another highlight of the morning was snorkeling with the sea lions. The pups in particular were curious about us neoprene-wrapped swimmers and shot around us like torpedoes, pausing occasionally to nibble a finger or flipper, but left us intact.
Afterwards, an upper deck lunch of burgers and dogs found us in the multicolored waters of Ensenada Grande, a protected cove on the west side of Isla Partida. Here in this shallow bay, the array of ocean colors was remarkable – from dark azure to emerald green to a light turquoise gently sweeping a golden sandy beach.
Another blue whale interrupted our afternoon sail down to the south end of Isla Espiritu Santo. The late light penetrated the sea and turned the whale’s back to an incredible lime green until the cetacean surfaced and its true grayish-blue color was revealed. We finally arrived at another sheltered beach - Punta Dispensa – where guests went in pursuit of various activities: hiking with a naturalist, strolling along the beach, swimming, kayaking or simply relaxing in a beautiful setting of rugged mountains, desert, and sea.
The day ended with the desert sun dropping behind the distant horizon and giving us yet another green speck spectacle and leaving us with pleasant memories of whales, birds, sea lions…another perfect Baja day.
The velvet black of night was pushed away as the eastern horizon began to glow. As the fiery sun first peaked, the green flash (or shall we say green speck) made its brief appearance. A cerulean sky dabbled with fluffy white clouds met a vast, calm, deep blue sea.
Suddenly without warning, a huge exhalation broke the surface and a mist of water vapor rose to catch the early morning glow – such a large blow could only mean blue whale, the largest mammal to ever inhabit the earth. Early risers "oohed" and "aahed," and camera shutters clicked away.
After breakfast, it was time to Zodiac around the tiny, guano-iced Los Islotes, a favored hauling out place for California sea lions. Masses of red krill swirled around the ship and hungry fish shredded the ocean’s surface as yellow-footed gulls, blue-footed and brown boobies, and pelicans joined in the feeding frenzy. High in the sky, magnificent frigatebirds glided silently waiting to harass a satiated bird to make it regurgitate and then to swoop down to catch the warm meal before it hit the water. Higher still, turkey vultures waited patiently for their turn at a meal.
Another highlight of the morning was snorkeling with the sea lions. The pups in particular were curious about us neoprene-wrapped swimmers and shot around us like torpedoes, pausing occasionally to nibble a finger or flipper, but left us intact.
Afterwards, an upper deck lunch of burgers and dogs found us in the multicolored waters of Ensenada Grande, a protected cove on the west side of Isla Partida. Here in this shallow bay, the array of ocean colors was remarkable – from dark azure to emerald green to a light turquoise gently sweeping a golden sandy beach.
Another blue whale interrupted our afternoon sail down to the south end of Isla Espiritu Santo. The late light penetrated the sea and turned the whale’s back to an incredible lime green until the cetacean surfaced and its true grayish-blue color was revealed. We finally arrived at another sheltered beach - Punta Dispensa – where guests went in pursuit of various activities: hiking with a naturalist, strolling along the beach, swimming, kayaking or simply relaxing in a beautiful setting of rugged mountains, desert, and sea.
The day ended with the desert sun dropping behind the distant horizon and giving us yet another green speck spectacle and leaving us with pleasant memories of whales, birds, sea lions…another perfect Baja day.
