La Isla de San Jorge - Monday, May 22

9:30 AM

The day started early. I set my alarm for 5:30, fully expecting to be dead tired on the boat ride, but thanks to an unexpectedly freezing shower and a welcome cup of coffee, I was wide awake for the trip to the island.
It's a three hour cruise to la Isla de San Jorge, and the view is incredible. We travelled away from the coast at a slight angle, watching the detail and the buildings slowly fade from view, while the crests of the island came into greater focus. There was also the local wildlife to keep us occupied, and from the boat we could see sea lions lazily floating, fins up, absorbing the rays of the morning sun. Birds flew in the wake of the boat, taking advantage of the temporary clarity of the water to make a catch. If you've never been, the Sea of Cortez is a vibrant blue, and from the boat you could see it hug the sandy coast, stretching on to the horizon. Pictures don't quite do it justice.
We're approaching the island, so soon we'll get to explore what lies below the tranquil surface. I'm looking forward to it!

***

Around 3:00 PM

We're on our way back to the port now, and it seems like everyone, including myself, is trying to fend off sleep. A siesta seems in order after a day like today.
When we finally arrived at the island, it took us a few minutes to get everyone ready to get into the water. The divers had the most equipment to put on, so they went first. The people who were snorkeling, which included me, didn't take much longer after that to get started. Part of this involved clumsily putting on a wetsuit in the confined space of a boat restroom, which is sort of like trying to put toothpaste back into a tube, only you're the toothpaste and the tube really hates you. After squeezing into one and cycling through three different masks, I finally got out into the water. Naturally, the first thing I did was receive a mouth full of nice, cold, salty water. I probably should have tried clearing my breathing tube before inhaling my daily sodium intake, but I guess that's just my style. Mortal peril aside, I got my bearings and began to explore.
The area we were in was surrounded by sea lions and various birds, and while the water isn't crystal clear, visibility to the bottom was fairly good. We were immediately greeted by sea lions, who had been swimming about the boat playfully while we got ready. Once in the water, the sea lions would jet up to us from behind in what felt like an attempt to scare the crap out of us- and admittedly, it did startle me more than once. They even got close enough to touch, although we were told in advance to keep our distance for our safety, and for obvious reasons, trying to pet a wild sea lion is not advisable. These sea lions didn't seem to get the memo about personal space, but it was adorable to watch them rocket about around you and play, so for a few minutes we let them while we continued exploring, before wandering away from them.
After the sea lions, I ran into a school of fish casually swimming about, and they didn't seem too phased about a human floating in their midst, though unlike the sea lions, they kept their distance. There were at least 50 of them, each with the same white and black stripes and a yellow tail. Wading out further, a barnacle-covered outcrop shallow enough to stand on hid a sea star near the base, hugging a boulder.
We spent the next few hours snorkeling, and went to a different area about halfway through. A few students even tried freediving, and someone even managed to nab a shell from what looked like several meters down.
This outing was definitely one to remember. I wish we got to spend more time snorkeling, and the next time I get the opportunity, I'm getting scuba certified so I can participate in real dives. I'll absolutely try to do this again as soon as I can!