Today we visited a small group of Islets, Ten Miles North East of Isla San Jose on the West shores of the Sea of Cortez – Las Animas which means “Spirit Islands”. We started off the morning with a dive on the south wall. The dive was alive! Schooling Barracudas, an abundance of Octopus, Nudibranchs, seahorses and many schools of various fish with 60′ + visibility really created an Aquarium like site. In the morning the sea lions were out fishing for the day, playful as always, they joined us in the mid afternoon to show off their Pinnepit (“Fin Feet” in Latin). In the afternoon, post chef Jane’s mouth-watering Enchiladas, we ventured around to the North West to dive the Caves. I could not resist and joined our guests for a dive. Hernan, our Sea of Cortez expert, with over 20 years of local guiding and pilotage in the area dropped us off from the skiff and 60′ below was the first cave. A sandy entrance with a gap in the rock 10′ wide and 5′ high marks the entrance to a narrowing tunnel leading up to the exit above. The Blue Trigger fish were spectacular to watch hovering over their nests ready to protect against (including divers) predators. Upon surfacing from the depths, and returning to the back deck all eyes were on a pod of over 100 Bottle nose Dolphins a quarter mile away. Captain Dave ordered all skiffs to stand by for loading as the guests raced for their mask and snorkel and within minutes all three skiffs had casted off and were out playing with the dolphins. Tonight, we are underway for a thrilling day at Isla San Ildefonso and its 1200′ reef, 105 miles to the North.
Stay Tuned!
Mate Shaun
May diving onboard the Nautilus Explorer in the Sea of Cortez has proven itself to be a spectacular expedition!
