This afternoon I set out in a Zodiac with another staff member for a dive buddy, in search of this hitherto unknown rock. Unfortunately, the charts which show this pinnacle are well over one hundred years old, and even though we used GPS, triangulation from nearby islands and a portable depth sounder, we were unable to locate the shallow spot. The depth sounder did give occasional shallow readings but they seemed to disappear when we tried to anchor on them! Finally we decided to go ahead and dive, in case we might be able to locate the rock underwater.
When we reached the bottom, at about seventy feet, we found ourselves on a flat sandy plain, stretching to the limits of visibility with no sign of any rocks at all. This was a bit disappointing, but we soon discovered another kind of reward of true exploration. The dive was not at all what we had expected but it was a rich and beautiful marine habitat, a realm familiar to whales and sea lions but seldom visited by humans. The sandy bottom was littered with lovely Cuming's sea stars, and small patches of violet algae. Here and there were sizable pits in the sand, made by rays feeding on clams or scallops? We encountered both concentric stingrays and bullseye electric rays, were visited several times by a curious female California sea lion and, best of all, found this species of scorpionfish which I had never seen before. The dark-blotch scorpionfish (Scorpaena histrio) is quite rare in the Gulf of California; like all scorpionfish it is a predator which is able to rapidly change its skin color to a warning red like this or to blend in with its surrounding while waiting to surprise prey. It is also well armed with a row of poisoned spines rising from its dorsal fin.
Back on board the Sea Lion, I shared the video I had taken of all these wonderful creatures and every one agreed that it was one of the best "failed" explorations ever.
