Los Islotes, Isla de Espiritu Santo
Although we can’t always be sure what to expect from this untamed and fecund place, if we remain open, every day presents us with something both unexpected and generous. At Los Islotes today, the wild surf from recent winds crashed on, over, and through the rocky islets, creating dramatic surges and geysers of spray.
Our Zodiacs were right at home in the wild water. We bobbed beneath the spray-wet rocks, observing up close the California sea lions that had hauled out to rest and, in the case of some females, nurse their large pups. There was roaring, barking, and caterwauling from the gangs on the rocks, and some frisky individuals tossed bits of stick between themselves, flying beneath our boats on their broad foreflippers. Above the reaches of the tide, brown and blue-footed boobies rested, preened and called, sometimes launching themselves into the air with a characteristic shake of their tail feathers.
After sea lion saturation, we left Los Islotes for the sheltered harbor of what we’ve chosen to call Miracle Beach—a spot calm in nearly any storm. There, we put our kayaks in the water and explored the long reaches of the two shallow bays on either side of our launching beach. Brown pelicans were hitting the water, setting off splashes like fireworks. Caspian and royal terns both worked the waters as well, plunging alongside Heermann’s gulls to retrieve fish from the shallows. While the fisher-birds worked the waters, satiated individuals, like the two royal terns pictured, rested on nearby sand bars.
As the sun set behind the Sea Lion, Frisbee players and beachcombers gathered their packs and towels to return to the ship. It’s hard to imagine a better way to end such a dramatic trip than this quiet day full of exploration, of the sounds and the surprising details that this rich desert by the sea has to offer dedicated explorers. We leave richer for having had this chance to explore Baja; we return home with our senses and imaginations ready to discover what wildness lives near our daily lives.
Although we can’t always be sure what to expect from this untamed and fecund place, if we remain open, every day presents us with something both unexpected and generous. At Los Islotes today, the wild surf from recent winds crashed on, over, and through the rocky islets, creating dramatic surges and geysers of spray.
Our Zodiacs were right at home in the wild water. We bobbed beneath the spray-wet rocks, observing up close the California sea lions that had hauled out to rest and, in the case of some females, nurse their large pups. There was roaring, barking, and caterwauling from the gangs on the rocks, and some frisky individuals tossed bits of stick between themselves, flying beneath our boats on their broad foreflippers. Above the reaches of the tide, brown and blue-footed boobies rested, preened and called, sometimes launching themselves into the air with a characteristic shake of their tail feathers.
After sea lion saturation, we left Los Islotes for the sheltered harbor of what we’ve chosen to call Miracle Beach—a spot calm in nearly any storm. There, we put our kayaks in the water and explored the long reaches of the two shallow bays on either side of our launching beach. Brown pelicans were hitting the water, setting off splashes like fireworks. Caspian and royal terns both worked the waters as well, plunging alongside Heermann’s gulls to retrieve fish from the shallows. While the fisher-birds worked the waters, satiated individuals, like the two royal terns pictured, rested on nearby sand bars.
As the sun set behind the Sea Lion, Frisbee players and beachcombers gathered their packs and towels to return to the ship. It’s hard to imagine a better way to end such a dramatic trip than this quiet day full of exploration, of the sounds and the surprising details that this rich desert by the sea has to offer dedicated explorers. We leave richer for having had this chance to explore Baja; we return home with our senses and imaginations ready to discover what wildness lives near our daily lives.
