Los Islotes / Isla San Francisco
Shortly before sunrise, Sea Bird dropped the hook to start the first day of the season’s last expedition in Baja California. For many of us, chasing sunrises to capture them on film or simply to enrich our collection of remembrances is worth giving away a little sleep. At six in the morning photographers and enthusiasts witnessed the birth of a new day, surrounded by sea lions, red mounts emerging from the ocean and a number of birds, all covered by an evolving hue. Being a photo expedition, one of the goals is to be in the exact place at the precise time and that’s what we did.
Later on, we experienced Zodiac cruises near the California sea lion colony. They seemed a little lazy piled together, modulating their characteristic cacophony on their attempts to gain the most comfortable spot of the rock. At the same time, hundreds of brown and blue-footed boobies became airborne at the same time, probably trying to escape from a winged predator that we could not see.
After handing out the snorkeling gear, we submerged ourselves into the undersea realm. Water temperature and visibility were really nice, and shortly after jumping into the water, the first sea lions curiously approached with playful intentions. Youngsters and some females interacted with us, while the big bulls passed by, occasionally staring at us in a reticent way. Even though the sea lions were today’s highlight, other forms of marine life caught our attention. A number of parrotfish of several species, sergeant majors, scissor tail damselfish, king angels, and blue and gold snappers among others filled the ocean with color and motion.
Our next destination was Isla San Francisco, where we cruised through calm and slightly overcast seas. Our fleet of kayaks was launched in Half Moon Bay and several hikes were made. On this Island we could explore the marvels of the Sonoran Desert for the first time. We gave end to a long beautiful day full of activities around a bonfire accompanied by guitars and songs.
Shortly before sunrise, Sea Bird dropped the hook to start the first day of the season’s last expedition in Baja California. For many of us, chasing sunrises to capture them on film or simply to enrich our collection of remembrances is worth giving away a little sleep. At six in the morning photographers and enthusiasts witnessed the birth of a new day, surrounded by sea lions, red mounts emerging from the ocean and a number of birds, all covered by an evolving hue. Being a photo expedition, one of the goals is to be in the exact place at the precise time and that’s what we did.
Later on, we experienced Zodiac cruises near the California sea lion colony. They seemed a little lazy piled together, modulating their characteristic cacophony on their attempts to gain the most comfortable spot of the rock. At the same time, hundreds of brown and blue-footed boobies became airborne at the same time, probably trying to escape from a winged predator that we could not see.
After handing out the snorkeling gear, we submerged ourselves into the undersea realm. Water temperature and visibility were really nice, and shortly after jumping into the water, the first sea lions curiously approached with playful intentions. Youngsters and some females interacted with us, while the big bulls passed by, occasionally staring at us in a reticent way. Even though the sea lions were today’s highlight, other forms of marine life caught our attention. A number of parrotfish of several species, sergeant majors, scissor tail damselfish, king angels, and blue and gold snappers among others filled the ocean with color and motion.
Our next destination was Isla San Francisco, where we cruised through calm and slightly overcast seas. Our fleet of kayaks was launched in Half Moon Bay and several hikes were made. On this Island we could explore the marvels of the Sonoran Desert for the first time. We gave end to a long beautiful day full of activities around a bonfire accompanied by guitars and songs.
