Guide Report: Low Tide Walk

Low tide walks by Lorna Hill

March 2018

During a trip to Campo Cortez, you will (usually depending on tides and weather but most likely, you will) have the opportunity to go on one of our well traveled “low tide walks”. This is where we wait for the tide to go out (as far as possible), we don our rubber boots and head out onto the sand flats, looking for all the different types of clams, scallops, and critters in the sand and pools. It is always a lot of fun and if we’re lucky, we might find an octopus or two hiding out in a old, no-longer-used pen shell in the sand, either feeding or closely guarding her eggs. So careful where you tread and keep your eyes well peeled!

We also enjoy going out to find one of the other bottom dwelling residents of San Ignacio Lagoon – anyone care to guess which one this is, peeping out of the hole?

Stay tuned!

Music for the Soul

Music for the soul

by Lorna Hill

March 2018

Silence is golden. However, when we are blessed with the arrival of talented musicians and singers, let music be food for the soul.

Ricky and Monica arrived from Texas and Ricky, after spotting the guitar in the corner, told us that they were part of a band and would love to “sing a song or two”.. We said we were more than happy and they got to it straight away. Within minutes, they had us all singing along to “Wagon Wheel”, one of my favourite songs by the Old Crow Medicine Show.

What a way to start the trip. I believe that singing is a great way to bring out the good feelings in everyone so it wasn’t a surprise when we were greeted so quickly by the whales!

The party didn’t stop there. When we arrived back to camp, we shunned our salty sleeved coats and spent happy hour (plus some) singing away under the golden light of the sunset. Ricky and Monica sang some of their own songs but the highlights were definitely “Ring of Fire” and “Take me home, Country Road”.

If music be the food of life, then sing on!

Love is in the Air

Love is in the air 

by Lorna Hill

February 2018

The mating season has started and how fitting that we are celebrating Valentines Day today. As bowls of chocolates get passed around the room and whispers of “I love you” disappear into the wind, the whales expression of “love” is a lot more …. “turbulent”. 

Mating whales is quite a sight to see. Usually in a group, we see whales of 4 or 5 (it can be more, or less) all circling each other, locked into a courtship ritual or pursuit, all thrashing the water and flukes and fins and blows appearing in quick intervals. This can last for hours but you know when the actual mating is happening when you see, what whale watchers like to call it, the “Pink Floyd” – the 3-4 ft long, prehensile penis. It is easy to see this a number of times during the mating, as the males roll and move about, it appears above the surface the water.

Why wait for one day in the year to express your love? Let love be all around us!