Another beautiful sunrise greeted us to begin a new day in Baja California. We were sailing south towards our morning destination, and we had the chance to enjoy a cup of coffee on the bow as the day started.
Los Islotes is the southernmost California sea lion colony in the Gulf. Here, about 200 or so sea lions haul out at this time of the year and later use the rocks as their breeding area. We embarked our expedition landing craft to take a closer look at the majestic red rocks jutting out from the sea. The guano that covers part of the rocks is quite conspicuous from a distance, and that is proof of the popularity of these rocks for magnificent frigatebirds, brown and blue-footed boobies, yellow-footed gulls, and other seabirds. The main attraction is the sea lions, of course. These charismatic creatures rest on the rocks making them seem soft and comfortable. They take long naps on the low escarpments as they recharge their batteries for going back to sea to fish.
We had the amazing opportunity to snorkel with the sea lions. Los Islotes is an outstanding place to snorkel, since there are many different reef fish to see, but sea lions steal most of the show. The frisky pinnipeds speed up underwater and head towards our masks to abruptly turn a few centimeters away from us. Apparently they enjoy the screams of joy of the amused snorkelers!
For the afternoon, we stopped at Punta Dispensa, on the southern extreme of Isla Espiritu Santo. We enjoyed the desert once again. Some enjoyed the water again by snorkeling from the shore. Here, healthy elegant corals can be seen along with a good diversity of reef fish.
To end the day our galley crew prepared a wonderful dinner ashore. We were delighted by good food, stars, and storytelling by William as the sky turned pink and orange over the mountains of the Baja California Peninsula.
