Espíritu Santo and Los Islotes Islands
The Sea Voyager anchored shortly after sunrise at Bonanza Bay, located on the south-east side of Espíritu Santo Island. The beautiful long sandy beach was enticing enough, but there were many more good reasons to land there. As one of the Gulf’s largest islands, its biotic community is pretty diverse and includes several endemic species. So, we explored the island’s desert plains and rocky hills searching for the unique antelope ground squirrel, the Espíritu Santo coach-whip snake or the black jackrabbit. Wandering around clumps of copal and palo verde trees, admiring the impressive cardón cacti and keeping a respectful distance from the spiny branches of the Adam’s trees, we spotted several interesting creatures, including the black jackrabbit pictured here.
After a very pleasant morning at Bonanza Bay, we sailed north towards Los Islotes, where a colony of California sea lions greeted us with a cacophony of calls. Soon, we dropped the Zodiacs and circumnavigated the isletes, getting excellent views of the sea lion’s different age classes, including many newborns. Blue-footed and brown boobies, purple martins and magnificent frigate birds added a note of life to the majestic cliffs and contributed with their droppings to the thick guano layers. Later, we decided to imitate the sea lions, changed into our wet suits and went for a refreshing snorkel. The afternoon slowly came to an end and as the sun made its way behind the Sierra del Mechudo, and we realized how fortunate we are for having had the chance to enjoy a great week in the Sea of Cortez.
The Sea Voyager anchored shortly after sunrise at Bonanza Bay, located on the south-east side of Espíritu Santo Island. The beautiful long sandy beach was enticing enough, but there were many more good reasons to land there. As one of the Gulf’s largest islands, its biotic community is pretty diverse and includes several endemic species. So, we explored the island’s desert plains and rocky hills searching for the unique antelope ground squirrel, the Espíritu Santo coach-whip snake or the black jackrabbit. Wandering around clumps of copal and palo verde trees, admiring the impressive cardón cacti and keeping a respectful distance from the spiny branches of the Adam’s trees, we spotted several interesting creatures, including the black jackrabbit pictured here.
After a very pleasant morning at Bonanza Bay, we sailed north towards Los Islotes, where a colony of California sea lions greeted us with a cacophony of calls. Soon, we dropped the Zodiacs and circumnavigated the isletes, getting excellent views of the sea lion’s different age classes, including many newborns. Blue-footed and brown boobies, purple martins and magnificent frigate birds added a note of life to the majestic cliffs and contributed with their droppings to the thick guano layers. Later, we decided to imitate the sea lions, changed into our wet suits and went for a refreshing snorkel. The afternoon slowly came to an end and as the sun made its way behind the Sierra del Mechudo, and we realized how fortunate we are for having had the chance to enjoy a great week in the Sea of Cortez.
