San Pedro Martir Island
The pulse of life was evident since early in the morning, as we went exploring the most remote island in the Gulf of California, San Pedro Martir. A small volcanic island located right in the middle of the Gulf, San Pedro is one of the jewels of the region; its sheer cliffs and rocky slopes are totally covered by guano, which gives an idea about the abundance of birds there. A closer inspection using the Zodiacs showed us great numbers of brown and blue-footed boobies; in fact, San Pedro Martir is one of the most important nesting sites in the world for both species. Magnificent frigate birds, brown pelicans, Hermann’s and yellow-footed gulls, and the occasional red-billed tropic bird were also observed flying around or perching on the shorelines or on top of the abundant cardon cacti. Below the surface, a similar explosion of life was witnessed by the National Geographic team onboard. King and Cortez angel fishes, juvenile leopard groupers, California sea lions and an elusive green sea turtle were seen by them while scuba diving.
After a morning full of excitement, we sailed the deep waters around the island looking for larger marine creatures; almost immediately after leaving San Pedro, a group of bottlenose dolphins came closer to us and rode the pressure wave created by the Sea Voyager’s bow. Brown and blue-footed boobies followed us throughout the afternoon, thinking perhaps that our white ship looked suspiciously similar to a guano-covered rock. Later, we saw the first of many blows in the distance: sperm whales! The largest of the toothed whales and king of divers, the sperm whale feeds on the abundant Humboldt’s squid that lives off San Pedro Martir. A young calf was seen swimming alongside its mother, whereas many different individuals showed us their flukes as they dove to the depths. By the time the sun made its way behind the Baja California peninsula, we all knew that we had visited a most marvelous place.
The pulse of life was evident since early in the morning, as we went exploring the most remote island in the Gulf of California, San Pedro Martir. A small volcanic island located right in the middle of the Gulf, San Pedro is one of the jewels of the region; its sheer cliffs and rocky slopes are totally covered by guano, which gives an idea about the abundance of birds there. A closer inspection using the Zodiacs showed us great numbers of brown and blue-footed boobies; in fact, San Pedro Martir is one of the most important nesting sites in the world for both species. Magnificent frigate birds, brown pelicans, Hermann’s and yellow-footed gulls, and the occasional red-billed tropic bird were also observed flying around or perching on the shorelines or on top of the abundant cardon cacti. Below the surface, a similar explosion of life was witnessed by the National Geographic team onboard. King and Cortez angel fishes, juvenile leopard groupers, California sea lions and an elusive green sea turtle were seen by them while scuba diving.
After a morning full of excitement, we sailed the deep waters around the island looking for larger marine creatures; almost immediately after leaving San Pedro, a group of bottlenose dolphins came closer to us and rode the pressure wave created by the Sea Voyager’s bow. Brown and blue-footed boobies followed us throughout the afternoon, thinking perhaps that our white ship looked suspiciously similar to a guano-covered rock. Later, we saw the first of many blows in the distance: sperm whales! The largest of the toothed whales and king of divers, the sperm whale feeds on the abundant Humboldt’s squid that lives off San Pedro Martir. A young calf was seen swimming alongside its mother, whereas many different individuals showed us their flukes as they dove to the depths. By the time the sun made its way behind the Baja California peninsula, we all knew that we had visited a most marvelous place.
