After breakfast, we launched our fleet of expedition landing craft to explore the near-shore waters around Isla San Pedro Mártir, the most remote island in the Sea of Cortez. The morning was warm and sunny, and we enjoyed very calm seas as we circled this precipitous island, marveling at its many denizens. Brown boobies and blue-footed boobies crisscrossed the air around us. Brown pelicans coasted low over the water to rest stately on the shoreline rocks. Overhead, red-billed tropicbirds flew by, calling exuberantly with shrill voices as they swooped close to the rocky cliffs, investigating possible nest sites. California sea lions jumped, played, and curiously peered at us from the sparkling waters around our boats. In addition to the very numerous California sea lions, we also found several far more rare Guadalupe fur seals sunning themselves on the island’s rocky shores.
The abundance of marine life was only outdone by prevalent gangs of tiny and pesky bobitos that seemed to delight in swarming around our faces when we paused too long near the island. Fortunately, these minute bugs don’t bite, but—in the words of our compatriot, Carlos, who has spent long weeks camping on this island while engaged in research—they merely “feed on anxiety and despair.” We returned to the ship, delighted by the great abundance of marine life that we found in this seldom visited part of the Sea of Cortez.
We departed from San Pedro Mártir, and headed southwest across deep waters towards the distant Baja Peninsula. Michael Melford gave a tutorial session about using Lightroom software for photographers. Later, Rikki Swenson delivered her special talk entitled, “Thinking Out of the Shoebox,” which offered many varied creative ideas for sharing photos. During her presentation, she interrupted to mention that she could see short-finned pilot whales surfacing nearby. We all scurried to the outer decks to be thrilled by many pilot whales rising all around us in flat seas.
As the sun drifted lower over the silhouettes of the Tres Virgenes volcanoes north of Santa Rosalia, we retired to the lounge and dining room to wrap-up another special day.
