Isla Santa Catalina
Over the past several years, I have spent a couple of months each winter sailing in the Gulf of California. My experiences have been so exceptional that I didn’t think anything could compare to that beautiful, bountiful season in the Sea of Cortez. Leaving points north for an expedition in the waters surrounding the Baja peninsula anytime between December and March, the sun and desert sands are welcome reminders that rain, snow and cold temperatures will eventually succumb to the indomitable force of the changing seasons. The landscape offers up a feast of marvelously adapted plant and animal life including numerous endemic species. The sea teems with marine mammals and the air is alive with amusing boobies, raucous gulls and graceful, soaring frigate birds.
What a treat it is to discover the rich character of early summer in this land of contrasts! Many of the species seen in winter are present in these months, too, and there is the opportunity to observe them in another stage of their yearly cycle of life. The days are warmer and can be hot. The water temperature in many areas is also correspondingly warmer, however, making for excellent conditions for swimming, snorkeling and diving—all of which we had the option to do today while visiting one of the gems of the south central part of the gulf—Isla Santa Catalina. The summer wind is calmer on the whole and comes from the southeast rather than the northwest which in part permitted us to enjoy a beautiful kayak trip on crystalline waters from Tursiops Beach to Elefante Beach. Tursiops lived up to its moniker, which refers to the genus of the bottlenose dolphin, as a family group of perhaps a dozen of these sleek animals glided by. They rolled rhythmically side-by-side and occasionally slapped their tales loudly on the water’s surface within a couple yards of the delighted paddlers. As we rounded the final point, we came upon the rock formation above for which Elefante is so aptly named. In addition to kayaking, two diving opportunities, numerous hiking options, and snorkeling were all on the agenda and several people chose the triathlon approach to the day.
As the afternoon drifted seamlessly into twilight, another, larger group of bottlenose dolphins escorted us towards our next destination with leaping, twisting and lunging aerial gyrations. I wonder what it’s like here in the fall?
Over the past several years, I have spent a couple of months each winter sailing in the Gulf of California. My experiences have been so exceptional that I didn’t think anything could compare to that beautiful, bountiful season in the Sea of Cortez. Leaving points north for an expedition in the waters surrounding the Baja peninsula anytime between December and March, the sun and desert sands are welcome reminders that rain, snow and cold temperatures will eventually succumb to the indomitable force of the changing seasons. The landscape offers up a feast of marvelously adapted plant and animal life including numerous endemic species. The sea teems with marine mammals and the air is alive with amusing boobies, raucous gulls and graceful, soaring frigate birds.
What a treat it is to discover the rich character of early summer in this land of contrasts! Many of the species seen in winter are present in these months, too, and there is the opportunity to observe them in another stage of their yearly cycle of life. The days are warmer and can be hot. The water temperature in many areas is also correspondingly warmer, however, making for excellent conditions for swimming, snorkeling and diving—all of which we had the option to do today while visiting one of the gems of the south central part of the gulf—Isla Santa Catalina. The summer wind is calmer on the whole and comes from the southeast rather than the northwest which in part permitted us to enjoy a beautiful kayak trip on crystalline waters from Tursiops Beach to Elefante Beach. Tursiops lived up to its moniker, which refers to the genus of the bottlenose dolphin, as a family group of perhaps a dozen of these sleek animals glided by. They rolled rhythmically side-by-side and occasionally slapped their tales loudly on the water’s surface within a couple yards of the delighted paddlers. As we rounded the final point, we came upon the rock formation above for which Elefante is so aptly named. In addition to kayaking, two diving opportunities, numerous hiking options, and snorkeling were all on the agenda and several people chose the triathlon approach to the day.
As the afternoon drifted seamlessly into twilight, another, larger group of bottlenose dolphins escorted us towards our next destination with leaping, twisting and lunging aerial gyrations. I wonder what it’s like here in the fall?
