Isla Carmen
During the night the Sea Lion made her way south from the town of Santa Rosalia heading for a new day’s activities near Isla del Carmen. Sea conditions were amazing!Under blue skies and mirror calm conditions the natural history staff were on the bow finding marine mammals and extraordinary birds. At 7:10am the sun peeked over the Gulf of California, presenting the colors of a morning green flash in shades of purple, green and blue. Soon the warmth of the sun was felt on the bow, as we slowly made our way towards some unusual blows seen through out the bay we were traveling in.
TheSea Lion was heading along the northeast tip of Isla del Carmen. Rugged cliffs decorated a bay between Pt. Lobos and Pt. Perico. Within those waters a small group of Long-finned Pilot Whales were swimming. The natural history staff had spotted at least five small groups spread out along the eastern shore of Isla del Carmen. As the moon set over the mountains of the island, the shapes, colors and the moon were reflected in the calm blue waters of the Gulf of California. The groups of Pilot whales appeared to be milling about together, occasionally making dives that only lasted a few minutes. The primary prey for these whales are squid which are generally found at deep depths and commonly found in the area of the Gulf the Sea Lion was traveling through this morning. Pilot whales take most of their prey at depths of 600 to 1,650 feet, returning to the surface to breath, rest and continue their surface behavior. Smaller groups or pods traveling together consist animals with relationships built around adult females and their offspring. The two small groups we spent time observing seemed to be females and one very small whale keeping close contact with a larger animal, probably its mother. A group of larger fins were spotted in the distance, and some discussion amongst the staff pointed towards the group being several much larger male Pilot whales. We spent close to two hours with these marine mammals before slowly pulling away and continuing our voyage south towards our afternoon destination.
As the Sea Lion cruised towards Isla Monserrat many of us noticed the winds beginning to pick up. Radios around the ship began to chatter; it seemed the wind direction was coming out of the southwest, an unusual direction for this time of year. Our expedition leader made announcements just as our vessel changed direction and began heading slightly northwest. We were on a new heading coming into the protected waters of Puerto Ballandra, on the northwest tip of Isla del Carmen. Due to the change in plans we were now presented with a very inviting sandy beach where we would be able to offer kayaking, snorkeling and hikes up an arroyo. The afternoon was spent with many water activities, the constant refrain being, “Oh, the joy of being able to spend time on the beach relaxing.” Soon we saw the sun move west over the Sierra de la Giganta along the eastern shores of the Baja peninsula.
During the night the Sea Lion made her way south from the town of Santa Rosalia heading for a new day’s activities near Isla del Carmen. Sea conditions were amazing!Under blue skies and mirror calm conditions the natural history staff were on the bow finding marine mammals and extraordinary birds. At 7:10am the sun peeked over the Gulf of California, presenting the colors of a morning green flash in shades of purple, green and blue. Soon the warmth of the sun was felt on the bow, as we slowly made our way towards some unusual blows seen through out the bay we were traveling in.
TheSea Lion was heading along the northeast tip of Isla del Carmen. Rugged cliffs decorated a bay between Pt. Lobos and Pt. Perico. Within those waters a small group of Long-finned Pilot Whales were swimming. The natural history staff had spotted at least five small groups spread out along the eastern shore of Isla del Carmen. As the moon set over the mountains of the island, the shapes, colors and the moon were reflected in the calm blue waters of the Gulf of California. The groups of Pilot whales appeared to be milling about together, occasionally making dives that only lasted a few minutes. The primary prey for these whales are squid which are generally found at deep depths and commonly found in the area of the Gulf the Sea Lion was traveling through this morning. Pilot whales take most of their prey at depths of 600 to 1,650 feet, returning to the surface to breath, rest and continue their surface behavior. Smaller groups or pods traveling together consist animals with relationships built around adult females and their offspring. The two small groups we spent time observing seemed to be females and one very small whale keeping close contact with a larger animal, probably its mother. A group of larger fins were spotted in the distance, and some discussion amongst the staff pointed towards the group being several much larger male Pilot whales. We spent close to two hours with these marine mammals before slowly pulling away and continuing our voyage south towards our afternoon destination.
As the Sea Lion cruised towards Isla Monserrat many of us noticed the winds beginning to pick up. Radios around the ship began to chatter; it seemed the wind direction was coming out of the southwest, an unusual direction for this time of year. Our expedition leader made announcements just as our vessel changed direction and began heading slightly northwest. We were on a new heading coming into the protected waters of Puerto Ballandra, on the northwest tip of Isla del Carmen. Due to the change in plans we were now presented with a very inviting sandy beach where we would be able to offer kayaking, snorkeling and hikes up an arroyo. The afternoon was spent with many water activities, the constant refrain being, “Oh, the joy of being able to spend time on the beach relaxing.” Soon we saw the sun move west over the Sierra de la Giganta along the eastern shores of the Baja peninsula.
