Punto Pulpito

As seems to be the norm we sailed to our next destination on our way north, Punto Pulpito which is a really a fair weather anchorage, it is completely open to the east and south but would provide some protection from the north but our main reason for coming here is that there is supposed to be a HUGE seam of obsidian rock. I hear you say hum, why on earth would you want to see some obsidian but since we have been here in the sea of Cortez where the landscape is exceptionally arid we have seen some amazing rock formations. Now instead of appreciating the lush landscapes of the Pacific North West we appreciate the colour, patterns and diversity of plant life in this alien like landscape

Obsidian

Sea cave

Due to the very rocky nature of the beach, therefore making it difficult to land the dinghy, we decided to take the kayaks to shore to try and find the obsidian seam and it was not difficult as we had thought as it can be seen from ¼ mile away. The seam is about 7-10 feet wide and about 40 feet high. As soon as we landed on shore we found huge lumps of the black glass-like rock. Katya and I climbed to the face of the seam to collect the blackest and purest piece of obsidian we could find.

Manta ray doing a back flip

Having collected our rock specimens we kayaked along the rocky shore-line to a sea cave which is actually a cave and an arch as you can kayak right through it and out the other side. We then came back along the shore and went snorkeling in some of the clearest water we have seen and with many different species of fish. We saw a large bright green and yellow conger eel that raised up on its tail and bared it teeth in warning to us, Manta Rays glided past and the iridescent blue fish twinkled in the sunlight.

A fever of manta rays

A huge fever of Manta rays (I think squadron would be a better collective noun due to their flight like movement), led by three or four younger ones leaping out of the water, glided past the boat. There must have been well over a thousand of them four or five deep and 50 yards wide. It was an amazing site to see.       

In the evening, with the anchorage again to ourselves, we watched the stars and the phosphorescence in the water which lit up, looking almost identical to the clear and star filled night above us. The longer you stare at the water the brighter it becomes and the more you see. It truly twinkles with life. I swear that the sea is not a sea but a soup of life. In the day it looks clear but at night you see the enormity of life it contains. Tiny animals being eaten by small fish in turn being eaten by larger fish each leaving a trail of light, the larger the fish the larger the trail, the faster the movement the brighter the light.