Loreto Marine National Preserve and Santa Catalina Island
The waters of the Gulf of California were flat as a mirror. The wind blew like a soft, tamed warm breeze. The steep profile of the volcanic tuff-layered Sierra de la Giganta; and a beautiful orange-colored sunset were the frame this morning for our navigation between Coronados Island and the northern part of Carmen Island, in search of marine mammals. Before breakfast we encountered a three blue whales: cow and calf pair, and also a single individual - swimming and deep-diving magnificently as if they knew they were the biggest animals that have lived on Earth. Without hurrying, these giants moved in all directions, probably in search for food. A big school of long-beaked common dolphins engulfed the whales like a wide aquatic moving cloud of dark bodies, conjuring an association to boiling water as they progressed in their pursuit of schooling fish. With all this grandeur of live creatures around us, we in turn moved to have breakfast as well. Later, the Sea Bird continued navigating offshore the eastern margin of Carmen Island where we observed more blue whales, including another cow and calf pair, and lots of birds in frenzy feeding. Elegant terns, pelicans, Craveri’s murrelets, Herrmann’s gulls and other species were actively playing their part in the never-ending and complex ocean drama of the food chain. arriletes negros, or black skipjacks were also participating in the frenzy, and they jumped constantly out of the water allowing us to observe their aerodynamic bodies and nimbleness. Many mobula rays performed with breaches here and there.
The Sea Bird moved during lunch towards our afternoon destination at Santa Catalina Island. We snorkeled first to escape from the heat and to admire the beautiful marine creatures that hide below Elephant Rock, like the yellowtails and giant hawk fish. Then we hiked on the wide, gravely and beautiful arroyo. Gigantic cardon cacti in flower, copal, ironwood, palo verde, twelve-foot tall barrel cacti, and galloping cacti, among other amazing plants, were seen profusely on the arroyo and on the steep slopes of granite hills. Those that hiked to a higher location also admired the emerald-green colored side-blotched lizards, orange-throated whiptail lizards and desert iguanas. A multicolored sunset crowned another day full of unforgettable experiences in the Gulf of California.
The waters of the Gulf of California were flat as a mirror. The wind blew like a soft, tamed warm breeze. The steep profile of the volcanic tuff-layered Sierra de la Giganta; and a beautiful orange-colored sunset were the frame this morning for our navigation between Coronados Island and the northern part of Carmen Island, in search of marine mammals. Before breakfast we encountered a three blue whales: cow and calf pair, and also a single individual - swimming and deep-diving magnificently as if they knew they were the biggest animals that have lived on Earth. Without hurrying, these giants moved in all directions, probably in search for food. A big school of long-beaked common dolphins engulfed the whales like a wide aquatic moving cloud of dark bodies, conjuring an association to boiling water as they progressed in their pursuit of schooling fish. With all this grandeur of live creatures around us, we in turn moved to have breakfast as well. Later, the Sea Bird continued navigating offshore the eastern margin of Carmen Island where we observed more blue whales, including another cow and calf pair, and lots of birds in frenzy feeding. Elegant terns, pelicans, Craveri’s murrelets, Herrmann’s gulls and other species were actively playing their part in the never-ending and complex ocean drama of the food chain. arriletes negros, or black skipjacks were also participating in the frenzy, and they jumped constantly out of the water allowing us to observe their aerodynamic bodies and nimbleness. Many mobula rays performed with breaches here and there.
The Sea Bird moved during lunch towards our afternoon destination at Santa Catalina Island. We snorkeled first to escape from the heat and to admire the beautiful marine creatures that hide below Elephant Rock, like the yellowtails and giant hawk fish. Then we hiked on the wide, gravely and beautiful arroyo. Gigantic cardon cacti in flower, copal, ironwood, palo verde, twelve-foot tall barrel cacti, and galloping cacti, among other amazing plants, were seen profusely on the arroyo and on the steep slopes of granite hills. Those that hiked to a higher location also admired the emerald-green colored side-blotched lizards, orange-throated whiptail lizards and desert iguanas. A multicolored sunset crowned another day full of unforgettable experiences in the Gulf of California.
