The first day of our expedition is also the first day of this season for the Sea Lion in Baja California. We spent this wonderful day on Santa Catalina Island, 90 miles Northeast from La Paz city, our port of embarkation. Santa Catalina is part of a group of four islands that are included in the Loreto National Marine Park. We had the opportunity to explore both the marine and the terrestrial parts of the Park, as we snorkeled in the surrounding waters of the island, and hiked through the main arroyo at "Playa Elefante". During the hike, we admired the huge cacti characteristic of this island: Ferocactus diguetti, or barrel cactus, whose massive stems can reach 12 ft tall and nearly 3 ft in diameter, and the cardon, Pachycerus pringlei, whose massive branches may reach a height of 60 ft! As the sun set to the West and the moon rose in the East, we went back to the beach enjoying a peaceful and colorful moment before returning to our handsome vessel for cocktails and dinner.