Los Islotes and Bahia Bonanza
With a beautiful sunrise we started our second day of activities in Baja. Escorted by common dolphins, we arrived at Los Islotes, the southernmost breeding colony for California sea lions in the Sea of Cortez. We snorkeled with the sea lions, viewing these graceful swimmers underwater. The most hilarious event was watching the sea lions playing with a dropped mask and a snorkel. Who is going to forget the great time those sea lions were having? We also enjoyed swimming among all the beautiful fishes: sergeant majors, king angelfish, damselfishes and rainbow wrasses were just a few of the colorful reef fishes spotted on our morning snorkel.
Making our way to Bahia Bonanza we had the most amazing encounter! I could hardly breathe. My heart was beating so quickly; we had a group of at least nine killer whales ahead of the ship. We enjoyed amazing views of the pod and could count at least two big males and two small calves. One killer whale started bow riding the Sea Lion! The same animal passed numerous times under the ship from one side to the other, ensuring that everyone had a great look. We got the most amazing view of his back and saddle patch, and a perfect view of his white belly. There are no words to describe what an awesome killer whale sighting we were having.
The behavior of the whales began to change; we saw big squadrons of manta rays, swimming as fast as they could, running away from the killer whales. Despite this amazing moment, the best part was about to come. All of a sudden, one killer whale came up with something in its mouth. Could it have been a manta ray? It was hard to tell, but they were most likely pursuing and eating these rays. But truly the best moment of all was yet to come; we had an incredible breaching killer whale in front of the Sea Lion's bow. For the second time in the same day I couldn't speak a word. We all felt very fortunate to have had such an awesome experience!
This amazing day finished at Bahia Bonanza, on Isla Espiritu Santo, with one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. We enjoyed a barbecue at this beautiful beach, singing around the campfire. Our wonderful day in the Sea of Cortez finished with a full moon and Saturn in the starry sky.
With a beautiful sunrise we started our second day of activities in Baja. Escorted by common dolphins, we arrived at Los Islotes, the southernmost breeding colony for California sea lions in the Sea of Cortez. We snorkeled with the sea lions, viewing these graceful swimmers underwater. The most hilarious event was watching the sea lions playing with a dropped mask and a snorkel. Who is going to forget the great time those sea lions were having? We also enjoyed swimming among all the beautiful fishes: sergeant majors, king angelfish, damselfishes and rainbow wrasses were just a few of the colorful reef fishes spotted on our morning snorkel.
Making our way to Bahia Bonanza we had the most amazing encounter! I could hardly breathe. My heart was beating so quickly; we had a group of at least nine killer whales ahead of the ship. We enjoyed amazing views of the pod and could count at least two big males and two small calves. One killer whale started bow riding the Sea Lion! The same animal passed numerous times under the ship from one side to the other, ensuring that everyone had a great look. We got the most amazing view of his back and saddle patch, and a perfect view of his white belly. There are no words to describe what an awesome killer whale sighting we were having.
The behavior of the whales began to change; we saw big squadrons of manta rays, swimming as fast as they could, running away from the killer whales. Despite this amazing moment, the best part was about to come. All of a sudden, one killer whale came up with something in its mouth. Could it have been a manta ray? It was hard to tell, but they were most likely pursuing and eating these rays. But truly the best moment of all was yet to come; we had an incredible breaching killer whale in front of the Sea Lion's bow. For the second time in the same day I couldn't speak a word. We all felt very fortunate to have had such an awesome experience!
This amazing day finished at Bahia Bonanza, on Isla Espiritu Santo, with one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. We enjoyed a barbecue at this beautiful beach, singing around the campfire. Our wonderful day in the Sea of Cortez finished with a full moon and Saturn in the starry sky.
