December 9, 2018 - National Geographic Venture
We awoke to a brilliant morning sun illuminating a pod of dolphins that had been drawn to the wake of the National Geographic Venture. Joined by several California sealions, long-nosed common dolphins continuously to leapt over and under the glassy surface of the sea. Some took to the bow and higher status members of the pod jockeyed for the best position on the pressure wave we were creating. Dolphins are one of those creatures that look back at you. Every now and again, a dolphin took a moment to study the eager faces peering over the railing. These interactions lasted for about an hour and we completely forgot about breakfast with these curious marine mammals effortlessly gliding beneath our feet.
Tours aboard our zodiacs provided a close-up perspective of Santa Rosa Island, located in the northern portion of the Channel Islands. Harbor seals hid amongst giant kelp and waves crashed against sandstone cliffs on the shore. Earlier in its history, Santa Rosa Island provided an ideal location for the ranching of cattle and sheep with its lack of predators and the best fence in the world- the sea. Reminders of Santa Rosa's early ranching days could be seen slowly rusting into the surrounding scenery. The island was last owned and operated by Vail and Vickers before the entire island became a National Park.
The land called to us in the afternoon and many of us hiked up Cherry Canyon. A lucky few were rewarded with a fantastic look at the endemic Island Fox. The Island fox is endemic to the Channel Islands and each island has its own subspecies. Dwarfism is the result of isolation on a small island (they are quite small; about the size of a house cat) where selection has favored those with lesser food demands and there is no longer the need to be large when predators are absent.
Our expedition was a perfect mix of sea and sand, and was the ideal introduction to the endless possibilities hidden in the Channel Islands.
Text and photos by Emily Newton, Undersea Specialist
Link to full article on Lindblad-National Geographic website:
https://www.expeditions.com/daily-expedition-reports/187197/
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