It was a magically tranquil morning in the Sea of Cortez. Mirror seas reflected the sumptuous colors of the Sierra de la Gigante mountain range to the west. The powers-that-be teased us with a brief visit from a small group of long-beaked common dolphins. As the sun moved higher, the National Geographic Sea Bird headed around the northern end of Isla Carmen in search of marine mammals. We were not disappointed as we encountered more groups of common dolphins followed by pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins. The pilot whales were wonderfully close to the ship, showing themselves underwater as they slowly surfaced, a perfect opportunity for the many eager photographers to capture great images.
As we made our way south from Carmen, the ship’s Global Market opened for shoppers. The room then transformed as everyone gathered for Michael Melford’s presentation, “On Assignment with National Geographic.” Michael’s stories of his assignments were frequently funny, impressive in the scope of his work, and filled with awe-inspiring images.
From the tip of Isla Carmen we headed south to our afternoon landing spot, “Tursiops,” named by a previous Lindblad-National Geographic expedition team for a bottlenose dolphin skull once found on that beach. First up were water activities. Swimmers, snorkelers, and kayakers stayed cool in and on the water during the heat of the early afternoon. Later we went out for walks in the arroyo to see and photograph the impressive huge cardon cactus and giant barrel cactus found here. We found both with beautiful blooms, which is always a treat.
After an early, yummy taco dinner on board, we returned to the beach for a bonfire with s’mores for dessert. The more intrepid photographers trooped off into the desert to create nighttime images, experimenting with different settings and lighting techniques with great success.
All in all, it was another wonderful day in the Sea of Cortez.
