Light breezes accompanied our passage north through the night leaving us with calm seas in the morning. Shades of gold and orange set the stage for a great sunrise. We were cruising east paralleling Isla del Carmen when we started to get short glimpses of the dorsal fins of bottlenose dolphins. After a few minutes three large males came in to ride the pressure wave of our bow. Usually groups of females and young don’t bow ride so this gave us good views of big, husky looking dolphins with scars on their bodies, presumably from rough encounters with other males. By holding their flukes in a downward position the bow’s pressure wave allowed them to be pushed effortlessly along. They were soon gone as quickly as they had appeared.
After breakfast we were joined by an enthusiastic group of long-beaked common dolphins. They also rode our bow wave and raced along in the wake. This was a great opportunity for photographers because the dolphins often surface in the same positions and an observer can see them underwater before they rise. Several enthusiastic jumpers went straight up, while others belly flopped, or forcefully smacked their tails as they landed. They have an exquisite, hydrodynamic body shape. A light oblong marking on the front of their bodies makes this species easy to recognize.
Later in the morning a humpback whale surfaced. It dove repeatedly for about five minutes at a time and stayed in approximately the same area so was likely feeding. We watched its blows and had several opportunities to get excellent views as it fluked up to dive.
Not long after we left the humpback we passed through many Thurston’s devil rays or mobulas. These are closely related to the much larger manta rays. The water was glassy at times and it allowed us to see the creatures clearly just a few feet below the surface. The ship passed close to a ray that suddenly threw its pectoral fins up to propel itself away from the ship with a downward thrust. Today’s photo is of the water thrown into the air with the upward motion. These creatures have a white underside and a dark back to blend in with a light sky background from below or dark ocean from above. They have two feeding appendages that stick out in front of them to funnel krill and other invertebrates into their mouths.
We spent the afternoon at a delightful bay called Puerto Gato on the Baja California Peninsula. It has a stunning background of reddish cliffs that are made of cross-bedded sandstone. Snorkelers waded out into quiet water adjacent to a rocky reef. There were opportunities to hike, paddleboard, and kayak as well. Shortly before the sun dropped behind the multiple layers of progressively higher ridgelines, we were all on the ship again enjoying drinks, appetizers, and quiet conversations.
