Islas San Francisco & Isla San Jose
Dawn light touched the painted slopes of Islas San Francisco and San Jose and the layered cliffs of the distant Baja Peninsula. Bottlenose dolphins interrupted the calm, flat sea to speedily approach the ship and catch the bow wave. What a start to our first full day in the Gulf of California! We hoped to find marine life during the morning of cruising, and we were not disappointed. An enormous group of long-beaked common dolphins surrounded the Sea Lion, leaping in the sunlight while cameras clicked steadily. Boobies plummeted from above in contrast to the cormorants and grebes that dove right from the water's surface to feast on fish. Heermann's gulls and the endemic yellow-footed gulls joined the commotion as well. Tall, columnar spouts rose in the distance, and before long we were in the midst of fin whales. These are the second largest of the whales. Sleek gray backs rolled up then sank again. The whosh of their instantaneous inhaling and exhaling was wonderful to hear, but the stench of whale breath was not quite so appealing. One blue whale was within this loose aggregation of about a dozen fins. Over and over the fin whales rushed to the surface with immense mouths agape and baleen exposed in a behavior known as lunge feeding. They typically do this right side down, so they are counter-shaded, with their lower right jaw white and the left dark. This asymmetry is unusual in the animal world. The water was alive with krill, tiny crustaceans favored by fin whales, and with small fish. The Undersea Specialist gathered some plankton and displayed the miniature menagerie by use of the video microscope on board. We discovered another whale a short distance to the north. The mottled blue-gray color, the little dorsal fin, and the massive size immediately identified it as another blue. This individual rewarded us by showing its flukes for each terminal dive.
At lunch time we reached our anchorage at Isla San Jose, where we would stay for the remainder of the day and until early next morning. Beautiful orange and white rock faces rise up from the sea, protecting fossilized shells in ancient sediments. Kayakers like those in the photo paddled alongside magnificent formations carved and sculptured by erosion. Hikers walked across rounded cobbles of granodiorite then up a winding canyon graced with luxuriant desert plants and lovely scenery. Buds of the cholla cactus plants bulged in readiness for the blossoms that will soon decorate their spiny stems. Lizards dashed across our path. Male Costa's hummingbirds perched just long enough for us to see their iridescent purple throat feathers flash in the sun, then they zipped off and out of sight. We wandered back to the beach for shuttles to the ship and then returned to shore for a delightful barbecue that the chefs and crew had prepared. Tiki torches flickered and a bonfire crackled when the makings for smores appeared. Orion, Sirius, Jupiter, and Saturn shined brightly above as the Zodiacs carried us back to our floating home for a good night's sleep.
Dawn light touched the painted slopes of Islas San Francisco and San Jose and the layered cliffs of the distant Baja Peninsula. Bottlenose dolphins interrupted the calm, flat sea to speedily approach the ship and catch the bow wave. What a start to our first full day in the Gulf of California! We hoped to find marine life during the morning of cruising, and we were not disappointed. An enormous group of long-beaked common dolphins surrounded the Sea Lion, leaping in the sunlight while cameras clicked steadily. Boobies plummeted from above in contrast to the cormorants and grebes that dove right from the water's surface to feast on fish. Heermann's gulls and the endemic yellow-footed gulls joined the commotion as well. Tall, columnar spouts rose in the distance, and before long we were in the midst of fin whales. These are the second largest of the whales. Sleek gray backs rolled up then sank again. The whosh of their instantaneous inhaling and exhaling was wonderful to hear, but the stench of whale breath was not quite so appealing. One blue whale was within this loose aggregation of about a dozen fins. Over and over the fin whales rushed to the surface with immense mouths agape and baleen exposed in a behavior known as lunge feeding. They typically do this right side down, so they are counter-shaded, with their lower right jaw white and the left dark. This asymmetry is unusual in the animal world. The water was alive with krill, tiny crustaceans favored by fin whales, and with small fish. The Undersea Specialist gathered some plankton and displayed the miniature menagerie by use of the video microscope on board. We discovered another whale a short distance to the north. The mottled blue-gray color, the little dorsal fin, and the massive size immediately identified it as another blue. This individual rewarded us by showing its flukes for each terminal dive.
At lunch time we reached our anchorage at Isla San Jose, where we would stay for the remainder of the day and until early next morning. Beautiful orange and white rock faces rise up from the sea, protecting fossilized shells in ancient sediments. Kayakers like those in the photo paddled alongside magnificent formations carved and sculptured by erosion. Hikers walked across rounded cobbles of granodiorite then up a winding canyon graced with luxuriant desert plants and lovely scenery. Buds of the cholla cactus plants bulged in readiness for the blossoms that will soon decorate their spiny stems. Lizards dashed across our path. Male Costa's hummingbirds perched just long enough for us to see their iridescent purple throat feathers flash in the sun, then they zipped off and out of sight. We wandered back to the beach for shuttles to the ship and then returned to shore for a delightful barbecue that the chefs and crew had prepared. Tiki torches flickered and a bonfire crackled when the makings for smores appeared. Orion, Sirius, Jupiter, and Saturn shined brightly above as the Zodiacs carried us back to our floating home for a good night's sleep.
