Open waters and San Marcos Island
Ok, I accept it: I am not a morning person. But even so, I couldn’t have been happier when we were surrounded by short-finned pilot whales before sunrise! Literally hundreds of the second-largest members of the dolphin family were congregated in a very large group as none of us on board have ever seen! Four, maybe five hundred of them could be seen all around the Sea Voyager as we sailed the deep waters between San Marcos and Tortuga islands. We spent most of the morning cruising among the whales and were delighted to see many of them swimming alongside the ship, including some astonishingly large bulls and very young calves. Cameras clicked and whales blowed in unison. Of course, with so many whales around, I couldn’t resist the temptation of trying to get some underwater video of such fascinating creatures; you know we Undersea Specialists are a very weak bunch! I would never forget the memories of the hour that followed, like the baby whale who was so curious about me that her mother came looking for her after she strayed away from the pod; I felt privileged as many approached me close enough to have eye-contact with them, allowing me (a tiny, clumsy terrestrial intruder) to share a little bit of their realm…
Later on, we anchored off the north side of San Marcos Island; we brave explorers divided into different groups and went snorkeling, kayaking or SCUBA diving. Some enjoyed the warmer waters of the central Gulf and saw a number of fishes, like the yellow-tailed surgeonfish, the Cortez angelfish and even a large butterfly stingray; hikers admired the dramatic views and barren beauty of the island. Then, as several Mobula rays jumped high in the air, the sun approached the mountains of the Baja California peninsula to the west and we ended the day in the same mood that we had at sunrise: big smiles in our faces. How could it be different?
Ok, I accept it: I am not a morning person. But even so, I couldn’t have been happier when we were surrounded by short-finned pilot whales before sunrise! Literally hundreds of the second-largest members of the dolphin family were congregated in a very large group as none of us on board have ever seen! Four, maybe five hundred of them could be seen all around the Sea Voyager as we sailed the deep waters between San Marcos and Tortuga islands. We spent most of the morning cruising among the whales and were delighted to see many of them swimming alongside the ship, including some astonishingly large bulls and very young calves. Cameras clicked and whales blowed in unison. Of course, with so many whales around, I couldn’t resist the temptation of trying to get some underwater video of such fascinating creatures; you know we Undersea Specialists are a very weak bunch! I would never forget the memories of the hour that followed, like the baby whale who was so curious about me that her mother came looking for her after she strayed away from the pod; I felt privileged as many approached me close enough to have eye-contact with them, allowing me (a tiny, clumsy terrestrial intruder) to share a little bit of their realm…
Later on, we anchored off the north side of San Marcos Island; we brave explorers divided into different groups and went snorkeling, kayaking or SCUBA diving. Some enjoyed the warmer waters of the central Gulf and saw a number of fishes, like the yellow-tailed surgeonfish, the Cortez angelfish and even a large butterfly stingray; hikers admired the dramatic views and barren beauty of the island. Then, as several Mobula rays jumped high in the air, the sun approached the mountains of the Baja California peninsula to the west and we ended the day in the same mood that we had at sunrise: big smiles in our faces. How could it be different?
