We awoke to a sky like the edge of a seashell. We docked at La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur. It is an agreeable city, with an inviting waterfront promenade, and, never to be forgotten, perhaps the best ice cream shop in the hemisphere!
Bahia La Paz is warm and shallow, and stirred by currents generated by wind and tide. The productive water here attracts the world’s biggest fish! Using local boats, we went out to swim with whale sharks. These creatures, as sharky as any shark would want to be, are whale-like in that they attain great size by feeding low on the food chain. Their mighty maws bristle with teeth, but only tiny ones, since they feed on plankton. Look at all those boats clustered over there. Do you think that’s where the whale sharks are? Of course! And we found many to share meandering around, right below the surface. Occasionally we found them bobbing at the surface, mouths up, feeding like giant guppies in a tank. Most of us jumped in with snorkel gear to join them. Suddenly, the placidly-moving fish were found to be pretty speedy, at least to this inept swimmer. Still, we got great views of them. The sharks are medium-gray, with a gridwork of white spots. You might think it’s overly exciting to be a few feet from the world’s mightiest shark, but, in fact, it is the sense of beauty and peace you feel that is overpowering.
Meanwhile, others strolled about La Paz. Some of us visited the whale museum, and walked up to the city cathedral. Later in the afternoon, we motored north. Though there were some really interesting and fun programs going on in the lounge, the beautiful scenery from the bow was ever beckoning. The salmon-colored cliffs of Isla Espiritu Santa shone ever rosier as the sun sank over the Sierra de la Giganta.
