Different Spirits: Isla Espírito Santo / Cabo San Lucas

Isla Espírito Santo

Sea Lions hauled out on rocks.

The islands and water around Espírito Santo are protected and tightly controlled. The islands with their reefs and wild occupants may only be approached by small boats for snorkeling. This is what we did.

Underway.
Cactus overlooking guano covered islets.
  • Lava deposits
  • Lava deposits
  • Another bird paradise.
  • And crazy looking shoreline.
Ready.

Despite being in the Sea of Cortez approaching the Tropic of Cancer, the water is not Caribbean warm if you plan on spending any time in it. We were rewarded with sea lions swimming near us and an abundance of colorful fish, including parrot fish, sergeant majors, and barber fish tending to the coral in the guano enriched waters. Indeed, juvenile sea lions will bump into you or come charging at you in play. Star fish, sea urchins, moray eel, crabs and the ever present brown pelicans competed for attention less aggressively. Our guide was vigilant in making sure we kept a proper distance from the shore where the adult sea lions were hanging out and remained in “neutral water.” We were glad for this when a huge male cruised by, vocalized and gave us a look of acknowledgment.

Lunch on uninhabited island (Isla Espírito Santo) with marine toilets.

Cabo San Lucas

Motoring out from Cabo

Despite the insanity of the harbor and the party atmosphere, we enjoyed Cabo in a different way. Our guide (piloting the boat) likes to call it Cabo San Loco and it is unabashedly crass and commercial, but the exuberance of the place also has something to say for it. And, we were very lucky to have an excellent guide.

Tourists being dropped at Lover’s Beach on the Sea of Cortez. On the other side of this point of land is Divorce Beach, facing the Pacific Ocean, large waves and a very dangerous undertow where unwary tourists are occasionally swept out to sea.
Getting pictures of the arch.
Our photo of the arch.
Southernmost point of Baja California Sur.
“Strictly Business.” (Yes, that’s a sea lion the guides have named Pablo who begs for the left over bait fish from sports fishing captains returning to port. Sport fishing is catch-and-release only. They fly a flag on their return to indicate what they’ve caught and a second flag to confirm that it was released.)

Cabo San Lucas is the fastest growing city in Mexico and is now second only to Cancun as the largest resort area. It has grown at such a remarkable pace that each ten years it is newly unrecognizable. Its economy is entirely based on tourism as commercial fishing is prohibited in the area, but it draws the rich and famous along with the spring break crowd. Needless to say, the people who work there cannot afford to live any closer than 30 to 40 minutes away. Although people may think they live in paradise, as the shirt of the young entrepreneur offering the shirt attests, it’s “strictly business.” All has also not been paradise in terms of crime and lawlessness, with Cabo the location of a death from tainted alcohol and numerous violent crimes. However, after a disastrous 2017, the government stepped in to drastically increase policing and the violent crime rate dropped by 90% in 2018.

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