San José Channel / Isla San Francisco
After sailing southbound all night from Santa Rosalía, the sunrise greeted us as we traveled the San José Channel in search of marine mammals. Shortly after breakfast, I gave a slide presentation on Mexico’s biological and cultural diversity. A few moments after the talk, bottlenose dolphins approached the ship to bow ride. Almost every one went out to the bow to see them with excitement. The ones that stayed in the lounge had the opportunity to see them through the Bow-cam, an underwater eye that sends live video images to our TV screens. This way everyone can see the behavior of bow riding dolphins and feel like a part of their pod! Later on, Sperm whales were spotted on the horizon. Their 45 degree angled blow revealed their identity, even from the distance. After a while they dove down and we continued sailing southbound to Isla San Francisco, we had lunch out on deck while we cruise the deep blue waters of the Gulf of California.
Once at Isla San Francisco, kayaking and walks of different lengths took place. The long hikers explored the heights of the eroded mountains that meet the sea in form of cliffs. From this place, the Sea Lion looked tiny, and our kayaks were multicolored spots scattered throughout the bay. The tide was low, and we found the prefect conditions to explore the tide pools, looking for interesting marine invertebrates. Vicky and Michael identified the little creatures and gave interesting explanations about their lives. One of the many interesting echinoderms was this brittle star that was crawling over Michael’s hand. There is absolutely no doubt that every day is special and unique in the Gulf of California.
After sailing southbound all night from Santa Rosalía, the sunrise greeted us as we traveled the San José Channel in search of marine mammals. Shortly after breakfast, I gave a slide presentation on Mexico’s biological and cultural diversity. A few moments after the talk, bottlenose dolphins approached the ship to bow ride. Almost every one went out to the bow to see them with excitement. The ones that stayed in the lounge had the opportunity to see them through the Bow-cam, an underwater eye that sends live video images to our TV screens. This way everyone can see the behavior of bow riding dolphins and feel like a part of their pod! Later on, Sperm whales were spotted on the horizon. Their 45 degree angled blow revealed their identity, even from the distance. After a while they dove down and we continued sailing southbound to Isla San Francisco, we had lunch out on deck while we cruise the deep blue waters of the Gulf of California.
Once at Isla San Francisco, kayaking and walks of different lengths took place. The long hikers explored the heights of the eroded mountains that meet the sea in form of cliffs. From this place, the Sea Lion looked tiny, and our kayaks were multicolored spots scattered throughout the bay. The tide was low, and we found the prefect conditions to explore the tide pools, looking for interesting marine invertebrates. Vicky and Michael identified the little creatures and gave interesting explanations about their lives. One of the many interesting echinoderms was this brittle star that was crawling over Michael’s hand. There is absolutely no doubt that every day is special and unique in the Gulf of California.
