Punta Dispensa
Last night we left the Bay of La Paz and sailed into the Gulf of California. Our destination for the day was Punta Dispensa, located at the southern tip of Isla Espiritu Santo. The wind was blowing strong from the north, but Dispensa offers good protection from the waves, and it is an excellent place for almost any activity.
This morning we deployed our kayaks from the sandy beach. We explored the rocky cliffs of Espiritu Santo and admired some of the birds, like yellow-footed gulls and magnificent frigatebirds. As we kayaked through this majestic landscape we could see the healthy coral heads under our kayaks.
Walks of different lengths were offered on the island. The more ambitious long hikers headed toward the highest peaks to be rewarded by a stunning view of the bay. Other hikers learned about desert ecology and the interesting history of this remote part of the world. Walking along the shore, we found many fascinating “dead things on the beach.” Naturalists love to play detective, and all these remains on the beach are excellent material to reconstruct stories and to draw on the sand the missing parts of some of the creatures – almost to make them come back to life!
Snorkeling and cruising in our Zodiacs were the activities for the afternoon. The coral ecosystems of Punta Dispensa are some of the healthiest that we see in the Gulf. Although we are located at the northern distribution of most hard coral species, three of these are well represented here. A wide array of fish enjoys this healthy ecosystem. Cortes rainbow wrasses, yellow-tail surgeonfish, spotted sharp-nosed puffers and king angels are some of the species that we could enjoy during our underwater exploration.
