Los Islotes, which translate to “the Islets”, is an unassuming name for a location that is teeming with excitement. We sent the morning shielded in the leeward side of the rocky pinnacles that dramatically rise up off the coastline. Even before we disembark the National Geographic Sea Bird we can see (and hear!) our welcoming party. Several hundred California sea lions use this ideally located haul out as a rookery and while it is not yet time for breeding season there is still a significant population that remains year round. The cacophonous braying wafts across the distance, along with the occasional olfactory indication as to their fish filled diet. While a number of individuals are late to start their day, the majority of the pinnipeds are cavorting in the water and we eagerly join them. Despite being less aquatically aerobatic than the whiskered marine mammals they still find us amusing enough to interact with. Lacking hands these “lobos del mar”, or sea wolves, as they are known here in Mexico, explore with their mouths, investigating the strange and brightly-colored flippers we wear with inquisitive nibbles. Utterly graceful under the surface the contrast is somewhat jarring when they finally tire of our playful antics and awkwardly squirm out onto the solar heated rocks to bask until their rambunctious nature sends them into a frisky frenzy of fins and fur.
The afternoon was spent tucked away in the bay of Ensenada Grande and apart from some shallow wading was considerably drier than the first half of the day’s adventures. Steep ridgelines covered with tall branching cardon cacti allow for a sheltered beach with a mangrove backdrop. Mangroves are the third most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet after rainforests and coral reefs as they act as a sanctuary for a myriad of juvenile species. As the sun drops towards the horizon the hikers return and the rock walls begin to glow a light orange red, trusty inflatable expedition craft zoom back and forth from ship to shore ensuring everyone makes it to cocktail hour in time so we can start to process such a full day with just enough time to sleep and rest up for what’s in store for tomorrow!
