Los Islotes and Bahia Bonanza
At sunrise we approached the small rocky island of Los Islotes and were greeted by the barking of California sea lions. We entered the Zodiacs and explored this rookery with an early morning excursion and were treated to quite a show. Large piles of sunbathing sea lions were comical to observe, as one individual would crawl across the others, creating quite a ruckus. Others played in the water, porpoising along acrobatically. One juvenile even tried to enter a Zodiac, possibly interested in a little human watching. The birds were also quite stunning with nesting great blue herons, a peregrine falcon, and the show stopping blue-footed booby dancing away.
Later, many decided to explore the undersea world of Los Islotes and were treated to another spectacle. Fishes were abundant, but the highlights of course were the playful sea lions. Incredibly agile and flexible, they seemed to use us as play toys, spinning us around and around as we tried to keep up with their underwater ballet. One group of juveniles found a piece of rope, and seem to enjoy playing tug of war. It was hard to tell who was having more fun, the sea lions yanking on the line, or us watching them.
During lunch, we sailed down the picturesque east side of Espiritu Santo and spent the afternoon ashore at Bahia Bonanza. A two mile white sand beach awaited us, or for the more adventuresome, snorkeling, kayaking, and exploratory hikes. Many of the hikers were rewarded with views of various birds, including California Gnatcatchers, Gila Woodpeckers, and a Northern Harrier flying low and patrolling for a meal. Also spotted were the endemic black jackrabbits and antelope ground squirrels. Today was a perfect ending to this fantastic voyage amongst the great whales.
At sunrise we approached the small rocky island of Los Islotes and were greeted by the barking of California sea lions. We entered the Zodiacs and explored this rookery with an early morning excursion and were treated to quite a show. Large piles of sunbathing sea lions were comical to observe, as one individual would crawl across the others, creating quite a ruckus. Others played in the water, porpoising along acrobatically. One juvenile even tried to enter a Zodiac, possibly interested in a little human watching. The birds were also quite stunning with nesting great blue herons, a peregrine falcon, and the show stopping blue-footed booby dancing away.
Later, many decided to explore the undersea world of Los Islotes and were treated to another spectacle. Fishes were abundant, but the highlights of course were the playful sea lions. Incredibly agile and flexible, they seemed to use us as play toys, spinning us around and around as we tried to keep up with their underwater ballet. One group of juveniles found a piece of rope, and seem to enjoy playing tug of war. It was hard to tell who was having more fun, the sea lions yanking on the line, or us watching them.
During lunch, we sailed down the picturesque east side of Espiritu Santo and spent the afternoon ashore at Bahia Bonanza. A two mile white sand beach awaited us, or for the more adventuresome, snorkeling, kayaking, and exploratory hikes. Many of the hikers were rewarded with views of various birds, including California Gnatcatchers, Gila Woodpeckers, and a Northern Harrier flying low and patrolling for a meal. Also spotted were the endemic black jackrabbits and antelope ground squirrels. Today was a perfect ending to this fantastic voyage amongst the great whales.
