Isla Carmen
It was a very quiet, early wake-up call. There were bottlenose dolphins in golden, pre-sunrise light. As the sun rose and the sunlight penetrated the glassy calm water, we had fantastic views of these graceful mammals as they cavorted below the surface. Our captain expertly maneuvered the ship as we watched and photographed. Wonderful views of cow and calf pairs were an extra bonus.
We were cruising along the south side of Isla Carmen, headed to our planned morning landing, but the dolphins were taking us towards the north end of the island. “Plan A” was scrapped as we spent the first 2 1/2 hours of our day following, photographing, and enjoying the sheer beauty of these animals.
Our flexible itinerary took us to the north end of Isla Carmen, and the calm conditions allowed us to make a landing at the infrequently visited Arroyo Blanco Norte. There, a shallow beach backed by sand dunes is found at the end of an inlet lined by rocky cliffs.
A snorkel boat was stationed at the base of the cliffs, and the snorkeler’s found comfortable waters with a good variety of undersea life. Along with the more commonly seen sergeant majors and Cortez rainbow wrasses, there were also sightings of spiny lobster and large leopard groupers.
On shore, Linda and George led a natural history walk. The area was a unique environment from our previous landings. The walk followed a sandy valley that had been blown off a larger dune. It was very dry, but several plants were in flower including Baja fairy duster, chuparosa, and desert cotton. Tracks of snakes, lizards, crabs and even bighorn sheep were found in the sand. Back at the beach, many of us watched as a gull grappled with an octopus. After the gull dropped it, we had great close-up views of the octopus.
After lunch, we set sail around the north end of Carmen, then headed west towards the peninsula looking for more marine mammals. In the afternoon, Rikki gave her talk, “Thinking out of the Shoebox: Creative Ideas for your Images." After the talk, fin whales were spotted in the late afternoon sun with the stunning backdrop of the Sierra de la Gigante mountains. As the sun set, we began our trip north toward the Midriff Islands.
It was a very quiet, early wake-up call. There were bottlenose dolphins in golden, pre-sunrise light. As the sun rose and the sunlight penetrated the glassy calm water, we had fantastic views of these graceful mammals as they cavorted below the surface. Our captain expertly maneuvered the ship as we watched and photographed. Wonderful views of cow and calf pairs were an extra bonus.
We were cruising along the south side of Isla Carmen, headed to our planned morning landing, but the dolphins were taking us towards the north end of the island. “Plan A” was scrapped as we spent the first 2 1/2 hours of our day following, photographing, and enjoying the sheer beauty of these animals.
Our flexible itinerary took us to the north end of Isla Carmen, and the calm conditions allowed us to make a landing at the infrequently visited Arroyo Blanco Norte. There, a shallow beach backed by sand dunes is found at the end of an inlet lined by rocky cliffs.
A snorkel boat was stationed at the base of the cliffs, and the snorkeler’s found comfortable waters with a good variety of undersea life. Along with the more commonly seen sergeant majors and Cortez rainbow wrasses, there were also sightings of spiny lobster and large leopard groupers.
On shore, Linda and George led a natural history walk. The area was a unique environment from our previous landings. The walk followed a sandy valley that had been blown off a larger dune. It was very dry, but several plants were in flower including Baja fairy duster, chuparosa, and desert cotton. Tracks of snakes, lizards, crabs and even bighorn sheep were found in the sand. Back at the beach, many of us watched as a gull grappled with an octopus. After the gull dropped it, we had great close-up views of the octopus.
After lunch, we set sail around the north end of Carmen, then headed west towards the peninsula looking for more marine mammals. In the afternoon, Rikki gave her talk, “Thinking out of the Shoebox: Creative Ideas for your Images." After the talk, fin whales were spotted in the late afternoon sun with the stunning backdrop of the Sierra de la Gigante mountains. As the sun set, we began our trip north toward the Midriff Islands.
