San Pedro Martir
At a glance, San Pedro Martir does not look like a place that would be full of life. It is the one of the most isolated islands in the Gulf of California, equally far from the mainland and the peninsula. The steep, rocky, shoreline makes it look stark and inhospitable. And since we are not even able to go ashore here, it is amazing that we could not get more than a few miles from this place all day. It’s not that we couldn’t leave, but we didn’t want to. There was too much to see!
We shared the sunrise with fin whales and we had breakfast with hundreds of common dolphins. Joining the dolphins for breakfast were hundreds of aerial fisherman. The brown and blue-footed boobies turned to look at us at eye level as they circled by to plunge dive into the feeding frenzy. Eventually we anchored the ship and went for some explorations.
We cruised the spectacular coastline in the craft of our choice. Some of us paddled while others preferred the comfort of the Zodiacs. Among the sights were blue-footed and brown boobies, Heermann’s gulls, Calfornia sea lions, red-billed tropic birds, and even more fin whales! Rock walls that could be seen high above the water were a reminder of another time, when guano was harvested by the ton from this bird colony.
After lunch we pulled the anchor and started to head south. But, within minutes of our departure we found another reason to linger -- sperm whales! We had amazing views of over 20 of these huge, toothed, creatures of the deep. They feed on squid and are able to dive deeper than any other whale. From our surface vantage point it was hard to imagine their underwater lives or to picture exactly what they looked like. But today we got two amazing glimpses into their watery world. Two young whales swam underwater just ahead of and then right beside the ship. Usually the water is too dark to see more than their backs when they come out to breathe. Today the conditions were so clear that we could see their whole bodies as they wove around each other and beside us. The second glimpse was even more impressive. This was footage taken by Carlos and Vicky as they snorkeled beside the whales. What a treat to see what goes on below the surface.
The rich ocean surrounding San Pedro Martir supports more life than one would have ever expected at first glance. And we barely scratched the surface. Sue Perin, Expedition Leader
At a glance, San Pedro Martir does not look like a place that would be full of life. It is the one of the most isolated islands in the Gulf of California, equally far from the mainland and the peninsula. The steep, rocky, shoreline makes it look stark and inhospitable. And since we are not even able to go ashore here, it is amazing that we could not get more than a few miles from this place all day. It’s not that we couldn’t leave, but we didn’t want to. There was too much to see!
We shared the sunrise with fin whales and we had breakfast with hundreds of common dolphins. Joining the dolphins for breakfast were hundreds of aerial fisherman. The brown and blue-footed boobies turned to look at us at eye level as they circled by to plunge dive into the feeding frenzy. Eventually we anchored the ship and went for some explorations.
We cruised the spectacular coastline in the craft of our choice. Some of us paddled while others preferred the comfort of the Zodiacs. Among the sights were blue-footed and brown boobies, Heermann’s gulls, Calfornia sea lions, red-billed tropic birds, and even more fin whales! Rock walls that could be seen high above the water were a reminder of another time, when guano was harvested by the ton from this bird colony.
After lunch we pulled the anchor and started to head south. But, within minutes of our departure we found another reason to linger -- sperm whales! We had amazing views of over 20 of these huge, toothed, creatures of the deep. They feed on squid and are able to dive deeper than any other whale. From our surface vantage point it was hard to imagine their underwater lives or to picture exactly what they looked like. But today we got two amazing glimpses into their watery world. Two young whales swam underwater just ahead of and then right beside the ship. Usually the water is too dark to see more than their backs when they come out to breathe. Today the conditions were so clear that we could see their whole bodies as they wove around each other and beside us. The second glimpse was even more impressive. This was footage taken by Carlos and Vicky as they snorkeled beside the whales. What a treat to see what goes on below the surface.
The rich ocean surrounding San Pedro Martir supports more life than one would have ever expected at first glance. And we barely scratched the surface. Sue Perin, Expedition Leader
