Day 8 – Isla San Jose, Isla Santa Cruz, Isla San Diego

We sailed up north along the Peninsula’s dry and arid coastline and anchored at Isla San Jose. The sunrise unveiled distinctive rock formations on the island’s east coast. The island was once inhabited by the Pericues whose population became extinct in the 18th century after a tiff with the Spanish.

At 8am, we landed on the rocky shores of Isa San Jose. After a short climb, the most beautiful vista presented itself, a consequence of dramatic shifts in the oceans a bazillion years ago. Dry salt framed puddles that reflected sandstone cliffs, ideal for a group photo. I walked 3kms around the rugged island painted in earthy tones, the sandy route lined with dry leaves and shrubs. Turkey vultures killing time. The undulated terrain combined coves, rocky cliffs and hills covered in rows of cacti. Cetacean bones, shells and turtle fossils embedded in rocks were visible on shore from millions of years ago, worth a lot of money.

Later, we sailed further up north east to Las Animas. Seals with scary eyes popping their heads out of turquoise waters, some fed up on basaltic cliffs, others diving in. Identified as Guadalupe fur seals and California Sea Lions, I could hardly tell the difference between them. Something about the ears? Male Guadalupe fur seals have harems so thank pups for their growing population, Las Animas has been recognized as a new colony of Guadalupe Fur Seals in the Peninsula. We circled around Boobies and Pelicans perched on rocks while the seals vocalized their enthusiasm in the background.

Around noon, hundreds of playful Bottlenose Dolphins made a scene by chasing our boat as we sailed towards Isla San Diego. They somersaulted, dove in, flapped their tails and made us laugh. After the brief encounter, we sailed towards Isla Monserrate, discomfort in the air after spotting an unhealthy Grey Whale looking disoriented in these waters. We dropped anchor south of Isla Monserrate and called it a night.

Day 9 – Bahia de Loreto National Park, Isla Santa Cruz, Isla San Jose

Just off Isla Montserrat, orange skies above the horizon, the sea looked silky smooth, a Blue Whale hidden somewhere. We spent the day sailing around calm waters between the Peninsula and rocky islands with classic Spanish names. From Isla Santa Catalina, we approached the fuzz covered shores of Isla Santa Cruz where a Blue Whale poked its sleek dorsal fin out at 10am. Oh, just the largest animal on earth in the vicinity.

We were on its tail for 4 hours circling around Santa Cruz until it set off towards Isla San Diego. Crazy! It’s 24 meters. Boat = 27 meters. It was so close, super zooming with big a$$ lenses was not necessary.

We carried on and headed south into Canal de San Jose accompanied by Common Dolphins for an hour at 4:30pm. The crew dropped anchor on the west coast of Isla San Jose overlooking one of the small towns on the Peninsula. Could be a couple of hours drive away from the center. Surrounded by rocky slopes in earthy shades topped with cacti and shrubs, a dirt road and a herd of cows, it was not an ideal escape route.