The last two days involved whale sharks and more whale sharks! Oh, and relaxation. The weather cleared and allowed the snorkeling to commence. The ability to access these tremendous whale sharks is a wonderful experience and is only possible with the work of the locals, guides, Mexican federal government, and respect. These animals are very intimidating, but also incredibly gentle and non-aggressive. They allow us to get within a few feet to these massive pre-historic creatures (sharks date back to more than 420 million years ago!). They are known to grow up to 60ft I am told and up to 10 tons! The whale sharks are nicknamed domino and from their skin you can tell why. In order to enjoy the whale sharks more thoroughly I have posted, with my girlfriend Dina’s permission, to share with you all today some of her footage. She is a serious amateur videographer and had one of the greatest encounters of her life. I want to thank all the guests that stayed with us and made it an incredible time I will always remember, as well as our guides Astrid (thanks for the tips ) and Karel who were with us every step of the way, The wonderful protectors and administrators of the protected whale shark area, and www.nathab.com natural habitat for making such a wonderful eco-expedition all possible. Good night and well wishes.
A brown pelican looking directly into my lens.
A beautiful Great Egret in search of a mid-day snack.
One of the vendors on the streets of Isla Holbox. Right next to some of the best pizza in Mexico at “Edelyn Restaurant & Pizzas” recommended from my good friend Carlos Navarro. Their Lobster pizza is to die for I hear.
This is to give you an idea of the personal experience that you can have. These were smaller whale sharks too. Only 25ft!
Keep in mind that is only his dorsal fin on the right side of that photograph. I couldn’t zoom out further on my Nikon 80-400.
(Video no longer active)
This is a quick splicing of the video to make it available for upload. The file is about 11mb so try and be patient. Blame me for the quick frame switching -All Rights Are Reserved- As always. Keeping up with these sharks is no easy task either. They are moving at about 3mph on average. It may seem easy, but more then a few minutes with them and your breathing real hard. Plus they are the ones letting you keep up.
…Oh I almost forgot. I was supposed to mention the part about how I ruined the photography. Long story short our underwater digital 1030sw is at the bottom of the ocean…moving on
Today (AKA yesterday ) we had taken a boat ride to the Island of The Birds and the Yalahau Spring (Mayan). The Island of the birds can barely be called an Island, but it holds an impressive amount of species. From breeding cormorants, magnificent frigates, great white herons, snowy egrets, plovers, brown pelicans and many more. The Island appears to be no bigger then a thousand feet in diameter. It’s protected and you are not allowed to walk on the island thankfully. We were able to dock and get on the newly built (still needs guide rails) observatory platform.
The afternoon involved a trip to Yalahau Spring. This is a great little spot with many iguanas and more crabs then you would know what to do with. The crabs are in what appears to be in the thousands and they all retreat into their holes as you approach. The Iguanas are very friendly if you are patient and respectful.
The night ended with an attempt at star trails. I converted it to black and white as there was too much color noise. The moon is a bit past full and lower clouds in the distance made it difficult. Not to mention the constant bright lights of the golf carts riding by at 11pm (main type of transportation here.) The trip is ending soon, but we are loving every minute while we are here. When we get some Whale shark footage I will see if can post a small clip (Dina is the Videographer.) I ruined the photo opportunity, but more on that later Buenos Tardes.
Double crested cormorant taking in some rays.
One of many of the double crested cormorants flying past our boat.
One of the many black iguanas eager to pose for the camera.
One of the very sensitive fiddler crabs eyeballing the crazy kneeled down photographer wondering when he will go away (very soon after ).
The view from the beach is spectacular if you are a beach bunny (what’s a beach bunny?..) The storm is still making its move. Hopefully gone and out of here by tonight. The ports are not allowing the whale shark cruises out yet. Tomorrow we go to the Island of the birds and then the afternoon is up for grabs. Possibly kayaking in the mangroves. Sounds like fun! As for me, I’m off to catch some Z’s. Goodnight all.
Fit for a common commercial ‘ey?
Reddish Egret being very understanding and not flying away. He was too busy eating anywho. Unfortunately the background wasn’t working. The cloud covered sky ruined the tropical color.
One of the beautiful flowers out in front of The Casa Sandra.
We arrived at the Azul Beach Hotel in a welcome fashion. We will be staying the night before spending the day transitioning and traveling over to Isla Holbox (ees-la hol-bosh .) The trip to Isla Holbox will involve a two and a half hour drive and then an approximate twenty minute boat ride. We were greeted today with a strong and fierce tropical storm. High winds and a pounding surf. Thankfully the worlds second largest reef is further out breaking the surf. The question of the week will be how will this affect the expeditions’ events? Only time will tell.
) and Karel who were with us every step of the way, The wonderful protectors and administrators of the protected whale shark area, and www.nathab.com natural habitat for making such a wonderful eco-expedition all possible. Good night and well wishes.
