This was the first day of our trip. We searched the east and part of the northern side of Isla Carmen for most of the morning and were successful with sightings of many marine mammals including the largest in the world, the blue whale. After many blows in the distance we had some nice views as the water was fairly calm. There were also a few finback whales, California sea lions, and bottlenose dolphins.
After lunch we approached the southern part of the island for snorkeling and hikes. The first part of the afternoon was spent in the water seeing some fish and invertebrates. The water was a little murky so we came back on board to change before a beautiful hike up one of the best arroyos in the Sea of Cortez. The volcanic rock has been sculpted by repeated flash floods through the ages, many plants have taken hold in the dusty valley waiting for their next washing by the rains of winter. The sun started to go down which put the arroyo in shadow and showed us how quickly the temperature can change during the day.
