Cruising in the Loreto Marine Preserve, Hiking on Isla Coronados
As the expedition leader made his wakeup call this morning the National Geographic Sea Bird was cruising north along the western side of Isla Carmen in the Gulf of California. The El Norte wind had dropped completely, and conditions were perfect for spotting marine mammals. Shortly after sunrise a whale was sighted just ahead of the National Geographic Sea Bird and we moved in for a closer look. Members of the natural history staff were on the bow, debating what species we were watching, as this graceful marine mammal cruised in the quiet waters of the Gulf of California. The whale made several blows and dives, and then radio communications from the bridge of our ship interrupted our observations; a group of bottlenose dolphins had been spotted in the area and our Captain wanted to know if we should head for the splashes? “Absolutely!!” To the amazement of everyone on the bow a large group of dolphins changed course, swimming over to ride just under the bow looking for the “sweet spot,” where the pressure wave of the ship would push them effortlessly through the water. Occasionally a dolphin would gaze up at the many human faces looking over the bow into the water. There seemed to be a core group of six animals who stayed with the National Geographic Sea Bird for nearly an hour, riding her pressure wave and enjoying the attention from those unusual beings hanging over the bow, some thirty feet over the heads of the dolphins! Our calm conditions allowed for spectacular looks and easy maneuverability as the officers of the National Geographic Sea Bird made figure eights in the Gulf of California, allowing our dolphin companions several opportunities to ride under the bow, as we watched from above.
The rest of our morning was spent in getting acquainted with our new home. We had drills for safety, drills for coming and going from the National Geographic Sea Bird, drills for snorkeling and introductions to natural history staff and some officers. Soon lunch was served and as we were finishing, our expedition leader explained the plans for the afternoon. During the late morning the El Norte had returned, and due to windy conditions we would be looking for an anchorage that provided protection from the wind. At the southern end of Isla Coronados there was a protected beach with access to two interesting hikes. Our choices were a long hike up to the top of an old volcano, and another exploratory walk in the desert thorn vegetation on the lower part of the island. It was late afternoon and the sun was moving west toward the Sierra de la Giganta, the tall rugged mountains of the Baja peninsula. Isla Coronados is part of a necklace of volcanic islands that is located along the eastern side of the Baja peninsula. As the long hikers made their way up the 928-foot gain in elevation through fairly rough terrain, the shorter hikers explored the lower part of the island covered densely in thorn scrub. The distance across Isla Coronados was short and on the western side the beach was fully exposed to the El Norte wind. After a blustery walk and much exploration of found things on the beach we trekked back across the island to our landing sight in hopes of returning to the quiet and warmth of the National Geographic Sea Bird. While waiting for a shuttle back to the ship we noticed several sea and shore birds taking advantage of a place slightly away from the wind, one being a very curious brown pelican wanting to be eye to eye with new companions arriving on the beach. Long hikers were descending, tired but satisfied from a fabulous view and good stories of a long climb. As the last Zodiac returned guests to the National Geographic Sea Bird the sun was setting behind the spine of mountains of the Baja peninsula. It was our first day and all aboard, whether they were two feet tall or over six feet, felt the fatigue and exhilaration of exploring this new and unique ecosystem, often referred to with great fondness as a desert by the sea.
As the expedition leader made his wakeup call this morning the National Geographic Sea Bird was cruising north along the western side of Isla Carmen in the Gulf of California. The El Norte wind had dropped completely, and conditions were perfect for spotting marine mammals. Shortly after sunrise a whale was sighted just ahead of the National Geographic Sea Bird and we moved in for a closer look. Members of the natural history staff were on the bow, debating what species we were watching, as this graceful marine mammal cruised in the quiet waters of the Gulf of California. The whale made several blows and dives, and then radio communications from the bridge of our ship interrupted our observations; a group of bottlenose dolphins had been spotted in the area and our Captain wanted to know if we should head for the splashes? “Absolutely!!” To the amazement of everyone on the bow a large group of dolphins changed course, swimming over to ride just under the bow looking for the “sweet spot,” where the pressure wave of the ship would push them effortlessly through the water. Occasionally a dolphin would gaze up at the many human faces looking over the bow into the water. There seemed to be a core group of six animals who stayed with the National Geographic Sea Bird for nearly an hour, riding her pressure wave and enjoying the attention from those unusual beings hanging over the bow, some thirty feet over the heads of the dolphins! Our calm conditions allowed for spectacular looks and easy maneuverability as the officers of the National Geographic Sea Bird made figure eights in the Gulf of California, allowing our dolphin companions several opportunities to ride under the bow, as we watched from above.
The rest of our morning was spent in getting acquainted with our new home. We had drills for safety, drills for coming and going from the National Geographic Sea Bird, drills for snorkeling and introductions to natural history staff and some officers. Soon lunch was served and as we were finishing, our expedition leader explained the plans for the afternoon. During the late morning the El Norte had returned, and due to windy conditions we would be looking for an anchorage that provided protection from the wind. At the southern end of Isla Coronados there was a protected beach with access to two interesting hikes. Our choices were a long hike up to the top of an old volcano, and another exploratory walk in the desert thorn vegetation on the lower part of the island. It was late afternoon and the sun was moving west toward the Sierra de la Giganta, the tall rugged mountains of the Baja peninsula. Isla Coronados is part of a necklace of volcanic islands that is located along the eastern side of the Baja peninsula. As the long hikers made their way up the 928-foot gain in elevation through fairly rough terrain, the shorter hikers explored the lower part of the island covered densely in thorn scrub. The distance across Isla Coronados was short and on the western side the beach was fully exposed to the El Norte wind. After a blustery walk and much exploration of found things on the beach we trekked back across the island to our landing sight in hopes of returning to the quiet and warmth of the National Geographic Sea Bird. While waiting for a shuttle back to the ship we noticed several sea and shore birds taking advantage of a place slightly away from the wind, one being a very curious brown pelican wanting to be eye to eye with new companions arriving on the beach. Long hikers were descending, tired but satisfied from a fabulous view and good stories of a long climb. As the last Zodiac returned guests to the National Geographic Sea Bird the sun was setting behind the spine of mountains of the Baja peninsula. It was our first day and all aboard, whether they were two feet tall or over six feet, felt the fatigue and exhilaration of exploring this new and unique ecosystem, often referred to with great fondness as a desert by the sea.
