Today we spent sheltering in Bahia San Gabriel, a shallow notch in the side of Isla Espiritu Santo.
In the morning guests chose one of a couple of activities.
Some went kayaking. From a pure white beach they launched into azure water. The beach lies before pink cliffs of volcanic tuff that are festooned with tall cacti and small trees thick and green with leafiness, a result of September’s impressive storm. Kayaking is a quiet, peaceful, and contemplative way to experience the unusual beauty of the Gulf of California.
Others explored by expedition landing craft. In addition to enjoying the scenery, boaters saw the remains of a pearl farm. Pearling has long been a part of this region’s history, and this operation, though extensive, is just the most recent iteration of collecting beauty from the least-likely seeming source. Pearlers gone, the jetty they made is now the home of frigatebirds. These birds are masters of the air, huge, and yet delicate, they vie with hummingbirds for being the most completely aerial creatures ever to live. And so they are somewhat awkward on the ground. We saw them perched on seaside rocks and in mangroves clotted with guano. The birds were engaged in every sort of behavior, sleeping, preening, and squabbling. Most spectacular were a few males that had inflated their bizarre and brilliant throat sacs into scarlet balloons in hopes of enticing an available female.
Part of the wonder of Baja California is the juxtaposition of seemingly harsh and spare desert meeting an ocean that brims with richness. In the afternoon some went snorkeling to come face-to-face with the briny world. We swam along a shoreline bristling with coral. Though coral in the Gulf of California is fairly sombre-colored, it is home to colorful creatures. We saw sergeant-majors with yellow stripes, and citrus-rimmed king angelfish.
Late in the afternoon others returned by boat to the frigatebird colony. Evening’s low angle light accentuated the textures of the tuff cliffs. Despite the peaceful feeling of the hour the bird colony still swirled with activity.
By air, land, or sea, Baja California and its sea are full of beauty and life. Today was a comfortable exploration of all three.
