A description and photos from a voyage on the Sea of
Cortez, Baja California
with the Society of Sigma Xi
M. V. SEA BIRD, operated by Lindblad Expeditions: We boarded this ship
in La Paz on the evening of 27 December 2000 and departed shortly after
9 PM. It was quite windy and the ship pounded its way through the waves
during the night. Some of the passengers had problems with sea-sickness,
but other than a few queasy moments, I was OK. In the morning the winds
had abated and the weather was excellent throughout the rest of the trip.
12/27; The trip began in La Paz. During the first
night, the ship headed north, passing between the Islands of Espiritu Santu,
Partida, and the mainland.
12/28; In the afternoon we arrived at Isla Carman, where I went with a group that hiked inland up an arroyo. Others went snorkeling or tide-pooling.
12/29; In the morning we arrived at Caleta San Jaunico, a cove on the mainland, where I went with the snorkeling group. In the afternoon, we headed north. We passed a huge number of bottle-nosed dolphins. After dinner one of the naturalists announced that there were "glow-in-the-dark dolphins" in the bow wake. The water around them was glowing with phosphorescence! We arrived in Santa Rosalia late in the evening.
12/30; We toured the town while the ship refilled its water tanks. Mid-afternoon we departed for Isla San Marcos where we took a two-hour hike up a canyon.
12/31; We arrived at Isla San Pedro Martin shortly after breakfast. We circled the island in zodiacs. The ship headed south after lunch. The New Year's celebration was postponed until the next evening where we would be in a more appropriate location.
1/1/01; We anchored before breakfast at Isla Santa Catalina. We hiked to the interior, returning by noon. We then departed for Puerto Gato on the mainland which we reached by 2 PM. We took a hike which ended at another beach where zodiacs shuttled us to the original landing point, where the crew had prepared a barbeque dinner.
1/2; In the morning we arrived at Los Isoletes. Many of the participants snorkeled among the California sea lions there (I opted out because of an attack of bronchitis). I did get a close look at the colony on a zodiac cruise. At noon we headed for Isla Espiritu Santo; we landed at a beach near the southern tip. I went with the group which took the "long hike." Upon our return we reboarded for the "Captain's Farewell" dinner. The ship headed for La Paz, arriving around 9 PM.
1/3; In the morning we debarked and boarded the bus for the airport.