Isla Espiritu Santo/ Los Islotes
The first morning of our trip greeted us sailing towards Isla Espiritu Santo. Since the winds were blowing between 15 to 20 knots, the MV Sea Voyager found shelter in the beautiful bay of Ensenada Grande. We spent the morning on a nice sandy beach kayaking, swimming and snorkeling in the turquoise waters surrounded by red mountains of volcanic rock.
While we had lunch, we sailed northbound to Los Islotes, The southernmost sea lion breeding colony. Here, we took a closer look by cruising around in our Zodiacs. Many species of birds were seen, some nesting and others roosting over the eroded volcanic ashes. Blue-footed boobies, great blue herons and purple martins were nesting, while brown boobies, turkey vultures, magnificent frigatebirds and yellow-footed gulls found safe areas to roost.
The highlight of the day was snorkeling with the sea lions. Some of them were curious about us, while the big bulls just dove underneath us, barking underwater. Females, which started giving birth about a week ago, nursed their pups and gave them swimming lessons as they bravely followed their mothers into the water. Pups were gently pushed by their mothers through the water’s surface to make them familiar with their new environment. When the lessons were over, the pups were gently pushed to the rocks, gradually learning how to climb on their own.
The first morning of our trip greeted us sailing towards Isla Espiritu Santo. Since the winds were blowing between 15 to 20 knots, the MV Sea Voyager found shelter in the beautiful bay of Ensenada Grande. We spent the morning on a nice sandy beach kayaking, swimming and snorkeling in the turquoise waters surrounded by red mountains of volcanic rock.
While we had lunch, we sailed northbound to Los Islotes, The southernmost sea lion breeding colony. Here, we took a closer look by cruising around in our Zodiacs. Many species of birds were seen, some nesting and others roosting over the eroded volcanic ashes. Blue-footed boobies, great blue herons and purple martins were nesting, while brown boobies, turkey vultures, magnificent frigatebirds and yellow-footed gulls found safe areas to roost.
The highlight of the day was snorkeling with the sea lions. Some of them were curious about us, while the big bulls just dove underneath us, barking underwater. Females, which started giving birth about a week ago, nursed their pups and gave them swimming lessons as they bravely followed their mothers into the water. Pups were gently pushed by their mothers through the water’s surface to make them familiar with their new environment. When the lessons were over, the pups were gently pushed to the rocks, gradually learning how to climb on their own.
