National Geographic Sea Bird cruised comfortably northward overnight into the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). At breakfast time we anchored at Los Islotes - rocky remnants of a very explosive period of volcanism and home to a colony of California sea lions. This was our chance to snorkel with the playful youngsters. The fish and invertebrate life is also wonderful here. Later we circumnavigated the islets in the DIBs to get a different perspective of the sea lions, as well as sally lightfoot crabs, blue-footed boobies, Brandt’s cormorants, and yellow-footed gulls.
For the afternoon, we cruised a short distance to Ensenada Grande (Big Bay), a beautiful, protected inlet incised into Isla Partida. We explored the desert vegetation and enjoyed water sports – kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding. We remained ashore for the evening, having a beach barbecue, complete with a bonfire and s’mores.
