San Jose Channel, Baja California Sur, Mexico
The shadows of the night were dissipated by the red rays of the sunrise that came down throughout a cloudy sky on our first day in the Sea of Cortez. At 0820, while sailing north between San Jose and Santa Cruz Islands, a tall exhalation suddenly appeared, making us congregate on the front deck. A beautiful blue whale, the largest animal on earth, made its way in the calmed ocean, maybe looking for something to eat. As we approached the animal, it performed several dives of 5, 7.30 and 11 minutes long.
After several more sightings and detailed explanations from our naturalists, we moved again in a northerly direction seeking more marine life. One hour later we encountered a large pod of common dolphins in what seemed to be a massive displacement in search for food. The animals swam synchronically, at times jumping out the water and at times taking advantage of the front wave produced by the boat. Some small calves were observed, carefully protected and guided by their parents and relatives. We were able to penetrate a bit into the mysterious vastness of the ocean through these fantastic and acrobatic animals.
In the afternoon, on our way south, we observed a plethora of sea birds, including frigates, gulls and pelicans. We ended the day with a delighting bonfire on the beach of Espiritu Santo Island, listening to the complicated but fascinating tales of the ancient Mexican gods and goddesses, like Huitzilopochtli and his mother Coatlicue.
The shadows of the night were dissipated by the red rays of the sunrise that came down throughout a cloudy sky on our first day in the Sea of Cortez. At 0820, while sailing north between San Jose and Santa Cruz Islands, a tall exhalation suddenly appeared, making us congregate on the front deck. A beautiful blue whale, the largest animal on earth, made its way in the calmed ocean, maybe looking for something to eat. As we approached the animal, it performed several dives of 5, 7.30 and 11 minutes long.
After several more sightings and detailed explanations from our naturalists, we moved again in a northerly direction seeking more marine life. One hour later we encountered a large pod of common dolphins in what seemed to be a massive displacement in search for food. The animals swam synchronically, at times jumping out the water and at times taking advantage of the front wave produced by the boat. Some small calves were observed, carefully protected and guided by their parents and relatives. We were able to penetrate a bit into the mysterious vastness of the ocean through these fantastic and acrobatic animals.
In the afternoon, on our way south, we observed a plethora of sea birds, including frigates, gulls and pelicans. We ended the day with a delighting bonfire on the beach of Espiritu Santo Island, listening to the complicated but fascinating tales of the ancient Mexican gods and goddesses, like Huitzilopochtli and his mother Coatlicue.
