At sea & San Pedro Martir Island
The Gulf of California is known for its high productivity and its diversity and abundance of marine mammals. On the first day of our expedition, these waters gave us testimony of this to be true. As we headed north, we encountered a pod of pilot whales, also known as "pot-heads" for their distinctive shape. Adult males were particularly notable among females and young for their large dorsal fins. The big pod, which was split in smaller groups, had approximately 40 or more individuals. Sailing bound to San Pedro Martir Island, a mother and calf pair of blue whales cruised near the Sea Lion giving us incredible looks to the aquamarine color that appears on the water’s surface shortly before they breathe. Sperm whales also made their short appearance, tail lobbing in the distance and blowing sideways. A giant bull cruised at high-speed after breaching a couple times and vanished into the deep.
We approached our anchorage on the north end of San Pedro Martir Island. Here, red-billed tropicbirds nest on the rocky hills of the island. Blue-footed boobies, brown boobies, Brandt’s cormorants and brown pelicans also use this old volcano as their sanctuary to nest. Protected in isolation this island is not only a bird sanctuary, but also a major California sea lion haul-out. Pregnant females are about two months away from giving birth and the big bulls wait patiently for the next breeding season that is about to start. The yearlings followed our Zodiacs with a playful and inquisitive attitude as we cruised along the shores of the most remote island of the Gulf of California.
The Gulf of California is known for its high productivity and its diversity and abundance of marine mammals. On the first day of our expedition, these waters gave us testimony of this to be true. As we headed north, we encountered a pod of pilot whales, also known as "pot-heads" for their distinctive shape. Adult males were particularly notable among females and young for their large dorsal fins. The big pod, which was split in smaller groups, had approximately 40 or more individuals. Sailing bound to San Pedro Martir Island, a mother and calf pair of blue whales cruised near the Sea Lion giving us incredible looks to the aquamarine color that appears on the water’s surface shortly before they breathe. Sperm whales also made their short appearance, tail lobbing in the distance and blowing sideways. A giant bull cruised at high-speed after breaching a couple times and vanished into the deep.
We approached our anchorage on the north end of San Pedro Martir Island. Here, red-billed tropicbirds nest on the rocky hills of the island. Blue-footed boobies, brown boobies, Brandt’s cormorants and brown pelicans also use this old volcano as their sanctuary to nest. Protected in isolation this island is not only a bird sanctuary, but also a major California sea lion haul-out. Pregnant females are about two months away from giving birth and the big bulls wait patiently for the next breeding season that is about to start. The yearlings followed our Zodiacs with a playful and inquisitive attitude as we cruised along the shores of the most remote island of the Gulf of California.
