Santa Catalina Island & Loreto Bay National Park
Shortly after sunrise the low, subtle light shone over Elephant Rock, the granite formation on Santa Catalina Island that resembles the unique African pachyderms. Several early bird photographers took advantage of a morning Zodiac ride in order to capture the beauty of the moment. Later, we all went ashore and explored the island, whose extremely tall barrel cacti are world famous.The abundance of large cardones and great diversity of plants give Santa Catalina Island a more lush appearance than other islands in the region and provided the perfect scenario for very pleasant and interesting hikes. Numerous birds added a touch of movement to the landscape, including northern mockingbirds, loggerhead shrikes and American kestrels. Many more beautiful creatures awaited us, this time underwater. Those among us that went snorkeling enjoyed the chance to admire a variety of fishes and invertebrates like the yellowtail surgeonfish, king angelfish, scissor-tail damselfish, flower sea urchin and Bradley’s sea star.
The Sea Bird sailed the waters of the Loreto Bay National Park throughout the afternoon. The park, which includes Santa Catalina, Montserrat, Danzante, Coronado and Carmen islands and its surrounding waters, is considered one of the jewels of the Sea of Cortez. Since its creation in the late 1990’s, there are numerous evidences of the recovery of several commercial marine species whose populations in the area were depleted due to overfishing. The area is also well known for its plankton blooms and krill swarms. The abundance of food attracts the largest animal that has ever lived on the planet, the blue whale. Several whales delighted both photographers and contemplative nature lovers on board. We were again mesmerized by their sheer size, beauty and elegance. However, we had a hard time trying to decide where to go between the whales and a large group of long-beaked common dolphins! The dolphins swam for a long time alongside the Sea Bird as photographers filled memory cards and shooting-fingers grew tired. Dolphin antics were recorded both digitally and in our heads. The day slowly came to an end, but the sights and emotions that we experienced today won’t be easily forgotten.
Shortly after sunrise the low, subtle light shone over Elephant Rock, the granite formation on Santa Catalina Island that resembles the unique African pachyderms. Several early bird photographers took advantage of a morning Zodiac ride in order to capture the beauty of the moment. Later, we all went ashore and explored the island, whose extremely tall barrel cacti are world famous.The abundance of large cardones and great diversity of plants give Santa Catalina Island a more lush appearance than other islands in the region and provided the perfect scenario for very pleasant and interesting hikes. Numerous birds added a touch of movement to the landscape, including northern mockingbirds, loggerhead shrikes and American kestrels. Many more beautiful creatures awaited us, this time underwater. Those among us that went snorkeling enjoyed the chance to admire a variety of fishes and invertebrates like the yellowtail surgeonfish, king angelfish, scissor-tail damselfish, flower sea urchin and Bradley’s sea star.
The Sea Bird sailed the waters of the Loreto Bay National Park throughout the afternoon. The park, which includes Santa Catalina, Montserrat, Danzante, Coronado and Carmen islands and its surrounding waters, is considered one of the jewels of the Sea of Cortez. Since its creation in the late 1990’s, there are numerous evidences of the recovery of several commercial marine species whose populations in the area were depleted due to overfishing. The area is also well known for its plankton blooms and krill swarms. The abundance of food attracts the largest animal that has ever lived on the planet, the blue whale. Several whales delighted both photographers and contemplative nature lovers on board. We were again mesmerized by their sheer size, beauty and elegance. However, we had a hard time trying to decide where to go between the whales and a large group of long-beaked common dolphins! The dolphins swam for a long time alongside the Sea Bird as photographers filled memory cards and shooting-fingers grew tired. Dolphin antics were recorded both digitally and in our heads. The day slowly came to an end, but the sights and emotions that we experienced today won’t be easily forgotten.
