Isla Carmen, Baja California Sur
“There is no whaler and no whale biologist, no matter how experienced, who is so jaded that his heart does not race at the sight of a blue whale.”
- Dale Rice
Just after sunrise, we spotted two blue whales plying the waters between Isla Carmen and Isla Danzante. The sight and sound of these blue whales surfacing was breathtaking. As we approached the whales, you could see the massive u-shaped head break the surface followed by the explosive white blow. As the enormous animal continued to roll, we finally saw it’s small dorsal fin, and on a few lucky occasions, the broad, triangular fluke. Once quite abundant in all the world’s oceans, blue whales today are still considered endangered. However, the blue whales that are seen in the Gulf of California belong to one of the healthiest populations on the planet. We felt privileged for these opportunities to see the great giants – and all before breakfast.
And the day would only get better! After a few briefings, we were called back to the bow for a huge pod of common dolphin. At least 200 animals crashed through the surface eventually coming up to the ship to take advantage of our bow wake. Dark eye stripes and blurring colors along their flanks make them one of the more beautiful small dolphins. Most likely this heard was in the area for the same reason the blue were around…food. The cold productive waters of the Gulf drive a huge predator/prey system. Small schooling fish are one of the common dolphins’ favorite prey items, which come into feed on the bounty plankton. At one point, a huge fish boil emerged at the bow with small fish being driven up to the surface by larger fish. Although ephemeral, these fish boils are common in such rich waters.
We were just about to start collecting our snorkel gear when another bow cry came…mother and calf blue whales directly ahead of the ship! Initially the calf was lunging as if feeding along the surface, while mom was yards away calmly traveling at the surface. Finally, as they came together, side-by-side, one could get a true sense of these giants.
From the giants of the ocean in the morning, we then experienced the giants of the land at Isla Santa Catalina. This particular island is home to some of the largest cardon cactus and giant barrel cactus. Because of all the rain this season, flowers painted the landscape. Large swashes of desert lupine, daisies and nightshade lined the arroyo. Lizards darted amongst the rocks, and birds sang due to the recent greening of the landscape. A fuller day is not in our memories.
“There is no whaler and no whale biologist, no matter how experienced, who is so jaded that his heart does not race at the sight of a blue whale.”
- Dale Rice
Just after sunrise, we spotted two blue whales plying the waters between Isla Carmen and Isla Danzante. The sight and sound of these blue whales surfacing was breathtaking. As we approached the whales, you could see the massive u-shaped head break the surface followed by the explosive white blow. As the enormous animal continued to roll, we finally saw it’s small dorsal fin, and on a few lucky occasions, the broad, triangular fluke. Once quite abundant in all the world’s oceans, blue whales today are still considered endangered. However, the blue whales that are seen in the Gulf of California belong to one of the healthiest populations on the planet. We felt privileged for these opportunities to see the great giants – and all before breakfast.
And the day would only get better! After a few briefings, we were called back to the bow for a huge pod of common dolphin. At least 200 animals crashed through the surface eventually coming up to the ship to take advantage of our bow wake. Dark eye stripes and blurring colors along their flanks make them one of the more beautiful small dolphins. Most likely this heard was in the area for the same reason the blue were around…food. The cold productive waters of the Gulf drive a huge predator/prey system. Small schooling fish are one of the common dolphins’ favorite prey items, which come into feed on the bounty plankton. At one point, a huge fish boil emerged at the bow with small fish being driven up to the surface by larger fish. Although ephemeral, these fish boils are common in such rich waters.
We were just about to start collecting our snorkel gear when another bow cry came…mother and calf blue whales directly ahead of the ship! Initially the calf was lunging as if feeding along the surface, while mom was yards away calmly traveling at the surface. Finally, as they came together, side-by-side, one could get a true sense of these giants.
From the giants of the ocean in the morning, we then experienced the giants of the land at Isla Santa Catalina. This particular island is home to some of the largest cardon cactus and giant barrel cactus. Because of all the rain this season, flowers painted the landscape. Large swashes of desert lupine, daisies and nightshade lined the arroyo. Lizards darted amongst the rocks, and birds sang due to the recent greening of the landscape. A fuller day is not in our memories.
