Sea of Cortez
As the sun rose above Isla Santa Catalina, we approached our northernmost destination, Isla Carmen. The waters here are rich and productive, offering good opportunities for whale watching. Soon we saw a group of bottlenose dolphins approaching the ship. One by one they took their places below the bow anchor to ride the ship’s wake.
Later the naturalists observed several blows in the distance and the ship approached a small group of fin whales in a close encounter of the third kind. A guest spotted the distinct vermilion color of a concentration of whale food (more respectfully referred to as planktonic krill). The rest of the morning was filled with the safety drill, briefings and snorkel gear fitting, standard for the first day at sea. Expedition leader Jim Kelley gave a very informative talk on the geology of the Sea of Cortez region.
At lunch Poseidon (or Neptune if you prefer) was just a little irritated, and gave the Sea Bird a little rock ‘n’ roll which quickly settled down as we pulled into the lee of Isla Santa Catalina where we would spend the afternoon. Guests had many options including a long hike, short hike and snorkeling at Elephant Rock.
The underwater world was especially rewarding today. Small clouds of mysid shrimp, a form of planktonic crustacean, obscured vision in some areas of the little bay. Other regions of the dive site were teeming with many different species of fish. Two unusual sightings were a mobula ray (relative of the larger manta ray) just above us and a balloonfish that had filled itself with water to prevent an unseen predator from feeding on it. A crown-of-thorns starfish gorged on delicious elegant coral making for some interesting video footage.
Following recap and dinner, many of the guests relaxed in the lounge. In keeping with the Steinbeck-Ricketts theme of the trip, the film “Viva Zapata” was shown. Afterwards all retired to prepare for the following day’s adventure.
As the sun rose above Isla Santa Catalina, we approached our northernmost destination, Isla Carmen. The waters here are rich and productive, offering good opportunities for whale watching. Soon we saw a group of bottlenose dolphins approaching the ship. One by one they took their places below the bow anchor to ride the ship’s wake.
Later the naturalists observed several blows in the distance and the ship approached a small group of fin whales in a close encounter of the third kind. A guest spotted the distinct vermilion color of a concentration of whale food (more respectfully referred to as planktonic krill). The rest of the morning was filled with the safety drill, briefings and snorkel gear fitting, standard for the first day at sea. Expedition leader Jim Kelley gave a very informative talk on the geology of the Sea of Cortez region.
At lunch Poseidon (or Neptune if you prefer) was just a little irritated, and gave the Sea Bird a little rock ‘n’ roll which quickly settled down as we pulled into the lee of Isla Santa Catalina where we would spend the afternoon. Guests had many options including a long hike, short hike and snorkeling at Elephant Rock.
The underwater world was especially rewarding today. Small clouds of mysid shrimp, a form of planktonic crustacean, obscured vision in some areas of the little bay. Other regions of the dive site were teeming with many different species of fish. Two unusual sightings were a mobula ray (relative of the larger manta ray) just above us and a balloonfish that had filled itself with water to prevent an unseen predator from feeding on it. A crown-of-thorns starfish gorged on delicious elegant coral making for some interesting video footage.
Following recap and dinner, many of the guests relaxed in the lounge. In keeping with the Steinbeck-Ricketts theme of the trip, the film “Viva Zapata” was shown. Afterwards all retired to prepare for the following day’s adventure.
