Isla San Marcos
Seldom do we see overcast skies at this time of the year in Baja, but today, we did. This cloud cover would help to keep the day cooler for everyone. Our guests departed soon after breakfast to partake in different activities from a scenic beach on Isla San Marcos. Using anchored Zodiacs as our platforms, some set out on top of the water while others slowly descended to the sandy bottom with scuba tanks. Almost immediately, several round stingrays erupted from their cover of sand and flapped off in different directions. Small black sea urchins literally covered all rocky substrates, and we practiced our neutral buoyancy skills diligently. Soon, we encountered enormous rocks draped with various brown and green algae. The rocks provided homes and cover for many of the colorful fish found here.
Members of the echinoderm phylum with names such as tan, pyramid and chocolate sea star were found scattered upon the surfaces of these submerged rocks. Another invertebrate found, and probably the most intelligent of all invertebrates, was a large octopus that remained out in the open for several minutes. It is quite unusual to see one during daylight hours since they generally come out to hunt under the cover of darkness.
We spent the afternoon cruising the productive deep waters between Isla San Marcos and Isla Tortuga on our search for marine mammals. Pink-footed shearwaters landed in the water in front of our ship and then quickly took flight again as well as brown pelicans, blue-footed and brown boobies. Then off in the distance, someone spotted splashes and surface activity. A large group of long-beaked common dolphins, some leaping clear out of the water, were heading our way. As they approached the ship, the water was so calm and clear that we could easily see the streamlined bodies of remora fish attached to their sleek bodies. Remoras are not parasites, and it is thought that they are merely hitchhikers and opportunists, possibly snatching some of the prey of these feeding marine mammals. After several passes, we finally repositioned the Sea Voyager and headed south to tomorrow's destination, Isla Santa Catalina.
Seldom do we see overcast skies at this time of the year in Baja, but today, we did. This cloud cover would help to keep the day cooler for everyone. Our guests departed soon after breakfast to partake in different activities from a scenic beach on Isla San Marcos. Using anchored Zodiacs as our platforms, some set out on top of the water while others slowly descended to the sandy bottom with scuba tanks. Almost immediately, several round stingrays erupted from their cover of sand and flapped off in different directions. Small black sea urchins literally covered all rocky substrates, and we practiced our neutral buoyancy skills diligently. Soon, we encountered enormous rocks draped with various brown and green algae. The rocks provided homes and cover for many of the colorful fish found here.
Members of the echinoderm phylum with names such as tan, pyramid and chocolate sea star were found scattered upon the surfaces of these submerged rocks. Another invertebrate found, and probably the most intelligent of all invertebrates, was a large octopus that remained out in the open for several minutes. It is quite unusual to see one during daylight hours since they generally come out to hunt under the cover of darkness.
We spent the afternoon cruising the productive deep waters between Isla San Marcos and Isla Tortuga on our search for marine mammals. Pink-footed shearwaters landed in the water in front of our ship and then quickly took flight again as well as brown pelicans, blue-footed and brown boobies. Then off in the distance, someone spotted splashes and surface activity. A large group of long-beaked common dolphins, some leaping clear out of the water, were heading our way. As they approached the ship, the water was so calm and clear that we could easily see the streamlined bodies of remora fish attached to their sleek bodies. Remoras are not parasites, and it is thought that they are merely hitchhikers and opportunists, possibly snatching some of the prey of these feeding marine mammals. After several passes, we finally repositioned the Sea Voyager and headed south to tomorrow's destination, Isla Santa Catalina.
