Islas Coronados and Carmen
The sea became agitated yesterday evening by a cool wind, soft but persistent, stacking the water like blue dominos, then pushing them over, tumbling them southward, in our direction. There was just enough wind to froth up a few whitecaps that seemed like little puffy clouds and the Sea Lion was a magic carpet soaring through the night all the way to Isla Coronados. With the island between us and the wind, we spent the morning exploring this volcanic place both by land and by sea. There were hikes and snorkeling and for those who wished and were certified there was SCUBA diving! We did two dives at two sites on the east side of the island. There were lots of colorful fishes and plenty of strange and even a few mysterious invertebrates, such as the giant ribbon worms curled up in small caves. Yes, the perfect topping for a festive Christmas package for that special sea cucumber in your life! Some creatures even appeared to be especially dressed up for the holiday season. Pictured here is a giant hawkfish, seemingly no wallflower this garishly decked out, yet dapper gentleman by day and deadly efficient predator by night. The hawkfish are ‘sit and wait’ predators. They perch on a prominent point, sitting motionless, but for their rotating, lidless eyes, waiting for some oblivious creature to stumble by. Mostly a nocturnal hunter, the giant hawkfish spends the day secluded in a cave or a crevice, but they are very curious and will often emerge to observe divers, a behavior that has caused a big reduction in their numbers in unprotected areas due to indiscriminant spear fishing. This, however, is a marine sanctuary. The afternoon was spent frolicking at nearby Isla Carmen with swimming, kayaking and yes, exploring ashore.
The sea became agitated yesterday evening by a cool wind, soft but persistent, stacking the water like blue dominos, then pushing them over, tumbling them southward, in our direction. There was just enough wind to froth up a few whitecaps that seemed like little puffy clouds and the Sea Lion was a magic carpet soaring through the night all the way to Isla Coronados. With the island between us and the wind, we spent the morning exploring this volcanic place both by land and by sea. There were hikes and snorkeling and for those who wished and were certified there was SCUBA diving! We did two dives at two sites on the east side of the island. There were lots of colorful fishes and plenty of strange and even a few mysterious invertebrates, such as the giant ribbon worms curled up in small caves. Yes, the perfect topping for a festive Christmas package for that special sea cucumber in your life! Some creatures even appeared to be especially dressed up for the holiday season. Pictured here is a giant hawkfish, seemingly no wallflower this garishly decked out, yet dapper gentleman by day and deadly efficient predator by night. The hawkfish are ‘sit and wait’ predators. They perch on a prominent point, sitting motionless, but for their rotating, lidless eyes, waiting for some oblivious creature to stumble by. Mostly a nocturnal hunter, the giant hawkfish spends the day secluded in a cave or a crevice, but they are very curious and will often emerge to observe divers, a behavior that has caused a big reduction in their numbers in unprotected areas due to indiscriminant spear fishing. This, however, is a marine sanctuary. The afternoon was spent frolicking at nearby Isla Carmen with swimming, kayaking and yes, exploring ashore.
