Santa Catalina Island
The last day of our expedition could not have a better destination than Santa Catalina Island. Located off the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula, the island is part of the Loreto Bay National Park together with Carmen, Danzante, Monserrate and Coronado islands. And as we hiked during the morning, we all got the chance to appreciate how beautiful it is. Magnificent cardón cacti, including some truly massive specimens, coronate the low hills on both sides of the arroyo; numerous ripe fruits were wide open and looked like big red, purple or tan flowers on top of the cardón arms. This bounty of moist and sweet flesh, as well as the abundant seeds, could not be missed by the island’s inhabitants and we were able to watch white-winged doves, black-throated sparrows and even several of the endemic chuckwallas feeding on the fruits.
The afternoon was dedicated to the waters around Santa Catalina; numerous fish species were seen by those who went snorkeling, including fine-scaled and orange-sided trigger fish, giant hawk fish and king angel fish. Many male sergeant majors defended their purple nests from the attack of their hungry neighbors, whereas a few gaff-topsail pompanos slowly cruised around; schools of mullets and Mexican goat fishes also swam, digging in the sandy bottom while looking for small invertebrates and organic matter. Kayakers were able to enjoy the fish too, as the clear and calm waters permitted to watch some of the more colorful species from above the surface. Little by little the afternoon came to an end and we all had time to think and marvel about all the places that we visited and all the creatures that we saw during this wonderful trip on the Sea of Cortez.
The last day of our expedition could not have a better destination than Santa Catalina Island. Located off the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula, the island is part of the Loreto Bay National Park together with Carmen, Danzante, Monserrate and Coronado islands. And as we hiked during the morning, we all got the chance to appreciate how beautiful it is. Magnificent cardón cacti, including some truly massive specimens, coronate the low hills on both sides of the arroyo; numerous ripe fruits were wide open and looked like big red, purple or tan flowers on top of the cardón arms. This bounty of moist and sweet flesh, as well as the abundant seeds, could not be missed by the island’s inhabitants and we were able to watch white-winged doves, black-throated sparrows and even several of the endemic chuckwallas feeding on the fruits.
The afternoon was dedicated to the waters around Santa Catalina; numerous fish species were seen by those who went snorkeling, including fine-scaled and orange-sided trigger fish, giant hawk fish and king angel fish. Many male sergeant majors defended their purple nests from the attack of their hungry neighbors, whereas a few gaff-topsail pompanos slowly cruised around; schools of mullets and Mexican goat fishes also swam, digging in the sandy bottom while looking for small invertebrates and organic matter. Kayakers were able to enjoy the fish too, as the clear and calm waters permitted to watch some of the more colorful species from above the surface. Little by little the afternoon came to an end and we all had time to think and marvel about all the places that we visited and all the creatures that we saw during this wonderful trip on the Sea of Cortez.
