The first day of our expedition into the Sea of Cortez was filled with worthwhile activities. The sunrise was quite amazing as the ship made its way out of the largest bay on the Baja California peninsula, Bahia De La Paz. Our path east took us to the southern point on Espiritu Santo Island, Bonanza Bay. It has a very long white sandy beach with rocky outcroppings for both fish to thrive and hide and seabirds to hunt them. After breakfast and a briefing on snorkeling, everyone who wanted grabbed some gear and headed to the beach. Some kayaked, others explored the desert environment, some scuba dove, and many swam or snorkeled. The morning was capped off by excellent flyovers of frigate birds, gulls, and pelicans.

We enjoyed lunch underway as the ship moved north towards Los Islotes. A group of long beaked common dolphins was encountered during out transit. These playful toothed cetaceans jumped and covorted to our amazement. We arrived at Los Islotes during the pupping for the California Sea Lions. The first activity was to beat the midday heat with a swim or snorkel amongst the sea lions and near the islets. The water was murky but good views were had of many of the animals both in the water and above it on the rocky shoreline. Later during Zodiac cruises, we all had the chance to photograph and marvel at the different sizes of males, females, and the week old pup pictured here calling to its mother as feeding time was near.