Cruising Bahia Loreto Marine Park, Puerto Los Gatos
We awoke to find ourselves moving through placid seas while the recently full moon waited patiently just above the ridge line for the sun to rise on the opposite horizon. The dull brown of the coast quickly exploded with the first rays, setting the cacti-covered mountains alight with an emanating red glow. The last clinging vestiges of a passing fog in the night could still be seen lying gently draped in the many canyons along the shore as we cruised past.
The combined search efforts of passengers and staff alike were soon rewarded as a blue whale was adroitly spotted. We peacefully followed this behemoth fellow traveler until breakfast beckoned. As thrilling as this experience was, it proved to be merely the opening act for the rest of the morning. En route to our next destination, a vast swath of disturbed seas that spanned a third of a mile could be seen heading our way. At first glance it might have been mistaken for some sort of freak wind front but the truth was far more exciting. We had happened upon a super pod of common, or saddleback, dolphins!
A super pod is a massive group of dolphins that has convened, potentially numbering in the hundreds or thousands, but is made up of smaller subunits of 20 to 30 closely related individuals. This massive gathering is a temporary occurrence and not entirely explained or understood. Visually, this delightful phenomenon is astounding, as the ship was quite literally surrounded by a teeming mass of frolicking grey bodies. The much debated but generally accepted estimation tool is that there are roughly three dolphins for every one that can be seen on the surface at any given time. Obviously this has significant potential for error but the super pod we had discovered (or vice versa) was conservatively numbered over 500!
Our ears were also treated to the event, not just from the splashing and smacking of the bodies as they leapt out of the water or the audible exhaling of air, but thanks to the ship’s homemade hydrophones, courtesy of the engineering department. We could clearly hear the piercing whistles and squeaks that is the cacophony of dolphin communication. Guests and crew alike, the latter rousted from below decks, where such acoustics are naturally conducted through the steel hull, rushed to the decks, and after an hour of enthralled rapture grudgingly bid the multitude of marine mammals goodbye and pulled away to Puerto Los Gatos for the afternoon.
An adventurous afternoon of activities ensued, with all the kayaking and hiking one could ask for. To top everything off, dinner was served ashore, nestled amongst the curvaceous terra cotta colored rocks with a beach bonfire and smores to boot! With days like these, the only hardship is picking out specific highlights to write about...
