Espiritu Santo
The first day of our trip showed that flexibility in schedule is a must when on an expedition in the Gulf of California. Last night as the Sea Lion left La Paz the wind began to pick up and the sea soon followed. The decision was made to gain some protection in the lee of Isla San Francisco. The morning was then spent exploring the large salt flat and fringing desert environment that are unique to this island.
The wind was still blowing later in the morning so we stayed anchored for lunch and then headed south to Espiritu Santo which has many bays and recesses that are protected, we wanted to find a nice place to kayak. We did so at Puerto Ballena, where the small beach was a perfect spot to launch our fleet of colorful kayaks and paddle around the amazing geology of the western face of the island. Those that voyaged out west were rewarded with still, shallow waters and floated in with the approaching tide. At a deeper corner of the bay, brown pelicans in breeding plumage were plunging into schools of fish, their red pouches almost unreal in the afternoon light. Against the mud-flat shore, snowy egrets and marbled godwits foraged among royal and Caspian terns.
The sunset was spectacular and told the end tale of a great day.
The first day of our trip showed that flexibility in schedule is a must when on an expedition in the Gulf of California. Last night as the Sea Lion left La Paz the wind began to pick up and the sea soon followed. The decision was made to gain some protection in the lee of Isla San Francisco. The morning was then spent exploring the large salt flat and fringing desert environment that are unique to this island.
The wind was still blowing later in the morning so we stayed anchored for lunch and then headed south to Espiritu Santo which has many bays and recesses that are protected, we wanted to find a nice place to kayak. We did so at Puerto Ballena, where the small beach was a perfect spot to launch our fleet of colorful kayaks and paddle around the amazing geology of the western face of the island. Those that voyaged out west were rewarded with still, shallow waters and floated in with the approaching tide. At a deeper corner of the bay, brown pelicans in breeding plumage were plunging into schools of fish, their red pouches almost unreal in the afternoon light. Against the mud-flat shore, snowy egrets and marbled godwits foraged among royal and Caspian terns.
The sunset was spectacular and told the end tale of a great day.
