Spelunking

Heading for the Islands near La Paz

National Park Islands near La Paz

John walking dinghy over the sandy shoals in Caleta Partida

Colorful Rock Strata along the east side of Isla Espiritu Santo

Good news, yes Leonard returned from stateside and our Nephew John also arrived on the same flight, joining us for an excursion to the Sea of Cortez. After a good night’s sleep, we departed La Paz and motored to Isla Partida where we anchored in the pretty bay of Caleta. The bay is actually the space between the islands of Espiritu Santo and Partida, which includes a narrow passageway. Getting the dinghy into shore from Caleta Partida to access the passage was an adventure in itself. The cove was so shallow in spots that we had to raise the motor and walk the dinghy over the soft sandy shoals for part of the way. Once we reached deeper depths, we motored through the channel and out to the northeast side of Espiritu Santo where several sea caves are located. Since we were at low tide, we were able to motor the dinghy inside many of the caves. We used the oars on several occasions to avoid rocks just under the water's surface as we carefully maneuvered into the caves. One cave was so large that it had several entrances, chambers, and narrow passage ways - it was both spooky and exciting. John decided he wanted the challenge of stepping off the dinghy inside one of the caves. We found an appropriate pebble-shore landing inside a wide cave and John made his leap of faith. After a short stint in the cave, he leapt back into the dinghy and we motored back out into the sunlight. The most interesting aspect about the caves were the numerous rocks protruding from the walls and ceilings; it looked as if the rocks might break free at any moment and fall down on top of us. After a long afternoon spelunking, or exploration of these intriguing caves, we headed back to our anchorage. The geologic history of Caleta Partida is also quite interesting having been the crater of a large, extinct volcano. Over thousands of years the crater eventually eroded below the level of the sea, losing its western and eastern edges; however high sloping walls inside the cove still remain and are quite impressive.