A Zodiac from the Sea Lion cruises off into the sunset for a late afternoon tour of Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida. As the sun descended over the Baja California peninsula we traversed the volcanic shoreline and watched frigate birds, pelicans, and blue-footed boobies fishing out in the bay. An osprey rose in the sky with a slender-bodied coronetfish dangling from its talons. Earlier using masks, fins and snorkels, we had observed these same coronetfish swimming amongst octopus, eels and colorful reef fish within the Sea of Cortez's diverse underwater habitat.
From the sparsely vegetated desert we explored on morning hikes amid cactus, torotes and mangroves, to the living reef ecosystem below water, the birds above and our descending star beyond, we felt a warm connection to this remote pristine place in the natural world.
