Isla Santa Catalina & Puerto Gato
The Sea Bird traveled north all night with very calm seas. By the morning we woke up heading towards our morning destination: Isla Santa Catalina. After breakfast, a group of courageous long hikers went inland to discover the beauties of this isolated island full of endemic species, particularly the giant barrel cactus and the elusive rattleless rattlesnake. At the same time our undersea specialist dove near Elephant Rock to take video of the marine life. By midmorning our expedition leader took a Zodiac trip along the shoreline of the island. We all came back to the Sea Bird for lunch while we navigated around the Loreto Bay, watching for any marine species to appear in our path.
Close to our next stop for the afternoon activities at Puerto Gato (on the Peninsula), we saw a couple of humpback whales that showed their flukes two times, and then disappeared. On this magnificent bay, we observed and enjoyed the contrasting patterns of color of the steep peaks of the Sierra de la Giganta mountain range; and at the beach we saw the marvelous pink color of the fossil sand dunes. Here we hiked and snorkeled again and, for the first time, we used the kayaks.
By the end of the day we had a succulent B-B-Q on the beach that everybody enjoyed and thanked. Well accommodated and comfortable around the bonfire (under a clear sky and some stars) we heard some Aztec stories about the Creation of the Suns and the foundation of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. This is how we finished this wonderful day in the Gulf of California.
The Sea Bird traveled north all night with very calm seas. By the morning we woke up heading towards our morning destination: Isla Santa Catalina. After breakfast, a group of courageous long hikers went inland to discover the beauties of this isolated island full of endemic species, particularly the giant barrel cactus and the elusive rattleless rattlesnake. At the same time our undersea specialist dove near Elephant Rock to take video of the marine life. By midmorning our expedition leader took a Zodiac trip along the shoreline of the island. We all came back to the Sea Bird for lunch while we navigated around the Loreto Bay, watching for any marine species to appear in our path.
Close to our next stop for the afternoon activities at Puerto Gato (on the Peninsula), we saw a couple of humpback whales that showed their flukes two times, and then disappeared. On this magnificent bay, we observed and enjoyed the contrasting patterns of color of the steep peaks of the Sierra de la Giganta mountain range; and at the beach we saw the marvelous pink color of the fossil sand dunes. Here we hiked and snorkeled again and, for the first time, we used the kayaks.
By the end of the day we had a succulent B-B-Q on the beach that everybody enjoyed and thanked. Well accommodated and comfortable around the bonfire (under a clear sky and some stars) we heard some Aztec stories about the Creation of the Suns and the foundation of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. This is how we finished this wonderful day in the Gulf of California.
