Angel de la Guarda Island
The water was so green and murky that we could not see the tip of our fins. We expected this to be the worst dive of the trip. We were wrong. Once we reached a depth of 20 meters we reached a layer of cold and clear water that shocked us. We felt like we were flying through clouds and finally arriving to a clearing. In front of us laid a sandy and rocky bottom covered with brown algae and sea fans.
A small horn shark the color of dark clouds flied elegantly a few inches from the ground, and landed near two octopi that changed the color of their skin as the light conditions changed, like living underwater northern lights. A few meters away, a larger and darker horn shark rested on a sandy patch among boulders covered with colorful sponges. Very excited, we started taking pictures, hoping to obtain a good visual record of the underwater world that goes unnoticed beneath the Sea Voyager.
We are anchored on the calmest of seas, near Angel de la Guarda, the longest and second largest island in the Sea of Cortés. The barren landscape on land contrasts dramatically with the green and productive sea. Remote and relatively unimpacted Angel de la Guardia still harbors a marine ecosystem that resembles that of the past – so full of life -- it gives us hope.
I go to bed happy and satisfied with a sense of awe and wonder. But there is lots to do to preserve the seas and time is short. I am hopeful that there is sufficient time and political will for protecting this place we call Baja.
The water was so green and murky that we could not see the tip of our fins. We expected this to be the worst dive of the trip. We were wrong. Once we reached a depth of 20 meters we reached a layer of cold and clear water that shocked us. We felt like we were flying through clouds and finally arriving to a clearing. In front of us laid a sandy and rocky bottom covered with brown algae and sea fans.
A small horn shark the color of dark clouds flied elegantly a few inches from the ground, and landed near two octopi that changed the color of their skin as the light conditions changed, like living underwater northern lights. A few meters away, a larger and darker horn shark rested on a sandy patch among boulders covered with colorful sponges. Very excited, we started taking pictures, hoping to obtain a good visual record of the underwater world that goes unnoticed beneath the Sea Voyager.
We are anchored on the calmest of seas, near Angel de la Guarda, the longest and second largest island in the Sea of Cortés. The barren landscape on land contrasts dramatically with the green and productive sea. Remote and relatively unimpacted Angel de la Guardia still harbors a marine ecosystem that resembles that of the past – so full of life -- it gives us hope.
I go to bed happy and satisfied with a sense of awe and wonder. But there is lots to do to preserve the seas and time is short. I am hopeful that there is sufficient time and political will for protecting this place we call Baja.
