Los Islotes and Bahia de la Paz, La Paz
Today was the last day of our ten day voyage and so we decided to start a little earlier. Greeted once again buy an orange-ball sunrise over the Gulf of California, we positioned our ship closer to the volcanic rock jutting out of the water called Los Islotes. This small group of islets, splattered with guano, is located to the north of Isla Partida Sur and is very popular among divers, fishermen, sea lions and birds. The surface conditions were perfect for activities above and below and we scuba divers wasted no time. We propelled ourselves effortlessly through an underwater arch and found ourselves surrounded by leopard groupers of considerable size, yellow snapper, and king angelfish. Upon closer examination of the rocky bottom, we spied several species of colorful nudibranchs. Suddenly, speeding straight at us like an underwater missile, a huge sea lion pivoted abruptly away, disappearing into the green water.
We had big plans for early afternoon. We were about to try something never attempted before: find and snorkel with a giant plankton feeder in Bahia de la Paz- the whale shark. With the coordinated efforts of the Cortez Dive Club and a spotter plane, we were determined to find this behemoth. We learned that several animals had been spotted earlier in the week in the bay and we hoped to have an encounter of a personal kind. We were more than ready when our Expedition Leader gave the cry to board the boats. Zodiacs filled with snorkelers and cruisers skipped across the relatively calm surface to rendezvous with our local guides from the Cortez Club. After a quickie course in whale shark etiquette, we turned our eyes and Zodiac towards a dark object at the surface. A large black dorsal fin sliced through the water. Within moments, with hearts racing and adrenalin pumping we slid into the shallow water. We were not disappointed. We came face to face with the world’s largest fish! I tried to suck in my breath to avoid a collision as it passed inches below my body. They are known to attain a length of fifty feet or more and feed on plankton, pelagic crustaceans, bait fish and squid, not snorkelers.
Back on board the Sea Voyager, we excitedly reviewed our personal experiences over lunch served topside in the lounge. We were physically and emotionally drained but ecstatic and we settled comfortably into the soft cushions. That sensation was short-lived however, because our Undersea Specialist shouted out “Humpback whale!” and the excitement began again. Whew! Sure enough, a mother and calf were frolicking close to shore. As we watched with binoculars and cameras glued to our faces, we were treated to quite a show. We were thrilled by tail-throwing, fluke and flipper slapping, and breaching by mom and calf over and over again and all of this occurring within a couple of miles of busy La Paz. We couldn’t have asked for a grander finale.
Today was the last day of our ten day voyage and so we decided to start a little earlier. Greeted once again buy an orange-ball sunrise over the Gulf of California, we positioned our ship closer to the volcanic rock jutting out of the water called Los Islotes. This small group of islets, splattered with guano, is located to the north of Isla Partida Sur and is very popular among divers, fishermen, sea lions and birds. The surface conditions were perfect for activities above and below and we scuba divers wasted no time. We propelled ourselves effortlessly through an underwater arch and found ourselves surrounded by leopard groupers of considerable size, yellow snapper, and king angelfish. Upon closer examination of the rocky bottom, we spied several species of colorful nudibranchs. Suddenly, speeding straight at us like an underwater missile, a huge sea lion pivoted abruptly away, disappearing into the green water.
We had big plans for early afternoon. We were about to try something never attempted before: find and snorkel with a giant plankton feeder in Bahia de la Paz- the whale shark. With the coordinated efforts of the Cortez Dive Club and a spotter plane, we were determined to find this behemoth. We learned that several animals had been spotted earlier in the week in the bay and we hoped to have an encounter of a personal kind. We were more than ready when our Expedition Leader gave the cry to board the boats. Zodiacs filled with snorkelers and cruisers skipped across the relatively calm surface to rendezvous with our local guides from the Cortez Club. After a quickie course in whale shark etiquette, we turned our eyes and Zodiac towards a dark object at the surface. A large black dorsal fin sliced through the water. Within moments, with hearts racing and adrenalin pumping we slid into the shallow water. We were not disappointed. We came face to face with the world’s largest fish! I tried to suck in my breath to avoid a collision as it passed inches below my body. They are known to attain a length of fifty feet or more and feed on plankton, pelagic crustaceans, bait fish and squid, not snorkelers.
Back on board the Sea Voyager, we excitedly reviewed our personal experiences over lunch served topside in the lounge. We were physically and emotionally drained but ecstatic and we settled comfortably into the soft cushions. That sensation was short-lived however, because our Undersea Specialist shouted out “Humpback whale!” and the excitement began again. Whew! Sure enough, a mother and calf were frolicking close to shore. As we watched with binoculars and cameras glued to our faces, we were treated to quite a show. We were thrilled by tail-throwing, fluke and flipper slapping, and breaching by mom and calf over and over again and all of this occurring within a couple of miles of busy La Paz. We couldn’t have asked for a grander finale.
