A deep purple slice of light lay on the eastern horizon as the Sea Lion arrived atop a seamount off the northern end of the Espiritu Santo Island complex. Rips of fish pushing the underside of the surface indicated productivity of such shallow areas. On glassy seas we spotted distant bands of porpoising dolphins and a brief sighting of an unidentified mother and calf whale species. Such are the mysteries of life.

During breakfast our captain maneuvered our ship to a small lumpy sienna islet painted white by generations of nesting seabirds. As we pulled in to our anchorage at Los Islotes we began to see birds wheeling in the sky around this remote protected habitat. The low guttural grunts of California sea lions drew our attention to these animals' silhouettes on rocky haulouts.

For our morning's exploration of this beautiful island in the Sea of Cortez, we made a two-pronged attack, both above and below water. Guests got close personal looks at the island's rocky shoreline and its inhabitants as we circumnavigated in our Zodiacs on this calm day. The second half of the morning was spent snorkeling in the near shore area exploring the underwater habitat of the sea lions and reef denizens. In addition our Undersea Specialist filmed the marine habitat while diving this lively site.

Los Islotes is an important breeding site for the California sea lion during early summer where dominant males defend territories of birthing females. We watched curious young animals that approached both Zodiac and snorkeler, males demonstrating territorial dominance, and nursing mothers and pups. It was interesting to see males underwater guarding shorefronts and then coming up on the rocks to bark away encroaching males. No one could say they didn't get a full introduction to this unique marine mammal in its natural environment.