Isla San Marcos
After a pleasant ride south through the night, we arrived off the east shore of Isla San Marcos, which is just south of the peninsular city of Santa Rosalia. Our plans were to go ashore for the morning, to swim, snorkel and even scuba dive. Guided hikes were also an option; Carlos leading a short beach walk to include some very interesting tide-pooling; Bryan leading a medium walk concentrating on adaptations of plants and animals to the arid Sonoran desert; and Octavio leading the long walk to discover the life forms well off the shoreline. During these walks, we were able to add another interesting cactus to our list, the old man cactus. It was very abundant along the arroyo, and we were pleasantly surprised to find it producing an abundance of succulent and tasty fruits. As on Isla San Esteban yesterday, the giant cardon cacti were also lush with fruits. While the hikers warmed up on the trails, Alberto led the swimmers and snorkelers from the beach. We enjoyed the morning in excellent form!
Since 1925, a gypsum deposit has been exploited on this island. Thus, this is one of the few islands in the Gulf of California that is occupied, and the only island that has a permanent human population. Fortunately, much of the industrial activity is confined to the southwest side. There remains little evidence throughout the rest of the island of human disturbance.
After a brief cruise to the north in the early afternoon, a white wall of frothing water was seen; Long-beaked Common Dolphins! Hundreds of them, heading right for us and all moving in unison. They were leaping high out of the water and were intent on finding a shoal of sardines. The Gulf of California is a body of water that can almost always promise such a spectacle. No one can deny just how exciting it is to find speedy marine mammals in such abundance.
We moved again for the afternoon activities, this time to the west side of Isla San Marcos. Here, on another secluded beach, we eased into our kayaks to explore the rugged shores, or once again donned our snorkeling gear to search for colorful fish and invertebrates. With weather and tides very cooperatives, we ended today’s activities knowing that each of us had experienced something new.
After a pleasant ride south through the night, we arrived off the east shore of Isla San Marcos, which is just south of the peninsular city of Santa Rosalia. Our plans were to go ashore for the morning, to swim, snorkel and even scuba dive. Guided hikes were also an option; Carlos leading a short beach walk to include some very interesting tide-pooling; Bryan leading a medium walk concentrating on adaptations of plants and animals to the arid Sonoran desert; and Octavio leading the long walk to discover the life forms well off the shoreline. During these walks, we were able to add another interesting cactus to our list, the old man cactus. It was very abundant along the arroyo, and we were pleasantly surprised to find it producing an abundance of succulent and tasty fruits. As on Isla San Esteban yesterday, the giant cardon cacti were also lush with fruits. While the hikers warmed up on the trails, Alberto led the swimmers and snorkelers from the beach. We enjoyed the morning in excellent form!
Since 1925, a gypsum deposit has been exploited on this island. Thus, this is one of the few islands in the Gulf of California that is occupied, and the only island that has a permanent human population. Fortunately, much of the industrial activity is confined to the southwest side. There remains little evidence throughout the rest of the island of human disturbance.
After a brief cruise to the north in the early afternoon, a white wall of frothing water was seen; Long-beaked Common Dolphins! Hundreds of them, heading right for us and all moving in unison. They were leaping high out of the water and were intent on finding a shoal of sardines. The Gulf of California is a body of water that can almost always promise such a spectacle. No one can deny just how exciting it is to find speedy marine mammals in such abundance.
We moved again for the afternoon activities, this time to the west side of Isla San Marcos. Here, on another secluded beach, we eased into our kayaks to explore the rugged shores, or once again donned our snorkeling gear to search for colorful fish and invertebrates. With weather and tides very cooperatives, we ended today’s activities knowing that each of us had experienced something new.
