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The Flying Mobulas
...they fly through the air with the greatest of ease... What a silly question. Of course I do.
Nothing is more amusing than watching thousands of rays the size of dinner plates hurl themselves out of the sea for a cartwheel and a splat.
It's unknown why they do this but several theories abound.
Some believe it is some kind of mating ritual.
He who smacks the water the loudest gets the most Mobula action? Theory number two, it's a tactic used to scare the shit out of their food. Thirdly, it's to rid themselves of parasites that don't appreciate aerobatic maneuvers. Fourthly, they are trying to outsmart their natural predators. And lastly, they do it for the sheer pleasure of it.
I'm going to go with that one.. I swear the Mobula splash down with a sheer glee.
Do fish really have feelings? I'd say yes. From the safety of a boat, they look like they are grinning from ear to ear as they soar through the air. Here on the Sea of Cortez you see the darnedest things.
Jacques Cousteau christened this place, "The World's Aquarium" and truly it is. Not only is the area rich with
biodiversity, but it's stunningly beautiful.
Mobulas, or Flying Rays, are close cousins to the massive Manta Rays. They swim in schools around the Baja feeding on zooplankton and tiny crustaceans when the ocean temperatures change in May, and again in November.
These little buggers are super amusing and absolutely essential to any ecosystem, but like everything else in the ocean, are under serious threat. They often get caught up in the illegal drift nets and tossed back as by-product waste. Seeing they only give birth to one pup per year, they could easily be added to the endangered species list.
Here on the Baja, poaching and pollution and overfishing are literally killing the Sea of Cortez. Fast.
So much so, that Greenpeace has posted one of its Sea Shepherd vessels to oversee and witness this crisis. The ominous MV Sharpie moors near my house in San Jose del Cabo after it has conducted harassment sorties against the local fishermen who are just trying to eek out a measly living. Which is a heartless battle with no winners.
As long as there is an insatiable demand to consume & trophy hunt endangered fish in North America,
Too Cool for School
They guys float under the surface with such grace Mexico is doomed to be bullied & pillaged, and aggressively destroyed. Just like the drug war.
Ok so! Off my soapbox for now. Another perfect day here on the Baja. Blue skies, sandy beaches, and turquoise seas.
My friend J and I decide it's time for an adventure outside of chaotic Los Cabos. Usually nothing gets me out of my hammock midday, but the Mobula circus? I'm packing my cooler.
Vámonos!
It's also the day before the Easter weekend, or Santo Semana as it's known in these parts, which is kind of a big deal. Kids get a week off school and I'm pretty sure every extended family member decides in unison to hit the beach. Any sandy spot along the coastline of Los Cabos instantly resembles a mini carnival.
An elaborate flotilla of tents goes as far as the eye can see. There are gangs of elderly women cooking in military grade kitchens, set up with precision under gigantic blue tarps to block out the sun. No one ever ties anything down properly. The smell of charred meats wafts along the horizon. Someone actually drove a water truck as far as they
Another Tequila sunset
Such a beautiful site at happy hour on the Marina in SJD. could before it got stuck. No one cares.
As expected, there are Latin music competitions between the families.
Who can play their favorite song the loudest? I'm not entirely sure why, but there is also a huge freshwater wading pool dug out of the sand inches from the sea shore, lined with black plastic.
Everywhere you look, young dudes dressed in black shorts with white socks and shower slippers are drinking beer and digging out vehicles stuck in the dunes.
Gangs of kids run amok in beach gear. Someone is making useless announcements over a loudspeaker from the Cielo truck that meanders along the roadway. Family pets travel in stray packs looking for handouts.
It's all stimulus overload.
Although all of this is highly entertaining, I prefer beach solitude and serenity, and Cabo Pulmo has some of the most perfect spots.
We drive the highway to get to where we are going fast. From San Jose del Cabo it's about an hour and a half drive East on the two lane highway, headed for Los Barriles.
You could go the other way...the “old beach road” which is a twisty bumpy dirt track
Cabo Pulmo
Welcome to the national reserve for marine life that skirts the scenic edge of the sea, but it is mostly washboard and potholes that will jiggle your wobbly bits in an unsightly manner. Or worse, flatten your beer.
Plus it takes forever.
The quicker of the two takes you through the middle of the Baja Sur, past the Tropic of Capricorn (a small rest area with monument officially marks the spot) and you drive until the turn off for La Ribera appears. After going through town, you'll have to backtrack the old dusty roadway to get to Cabo Pulmo, which takes about half an hour.
Beware. There isn't much in Cabo Pulmo. A few dive shops, a handful of restaurants that open when they feel like it, a tiny tienda that charges Gringos mucho dinero for snacks or beverages. You are better off stopping in La Ribera for supplies, I highly recommend bringing your own food and drink. Make sure you top up the Gasolina too.
The community of Cabo Pulmo is completely off grid, and they desperately try to conserve electricity, and water, and nature.
I rented us a typical Mexican casita with a palm frond roof for $50 a night through
Seal Selfie
Playful wet dogs, I find they try to eat my camera . Don't know why. Air BnB.
It is basic, basic. Translated: one step up from a tent. However, I do appreciate the nice hammock on the breezy second floor and a fridge to store my food. And the heated showers.
But unbeknownst to me, the owners shut the electricity off at 10 pm to conserve the batteries, so that means no fans, no charging the iPhone, and all the freezer stuff was melted by the morning.
In 1995, the Mexican Government set Cabo Pulmo aside as a National Marine Park Reserve. Thank God. It's one of the last places left on the Baja that is still in fairly pristine shape.
Subtle changes have been going on everywhere else in Los Cabos, it was nice to see a slice of the old Baja again.
What I mean is, for example, all the majestic Cardon cactus in Los Cabos has been dug up and stolen for landscaping projects at the fancy resorts. Here they still stand stoic. Also, in Cabo Pulmo, plenty of turtles still crawl out of the sea every summer to lay their eggs on the beaches, back in Los Cabos, there are none. Here, at least twenty road
Los Arboritos
The best little swim beach in Cabo Pulmo runners will cross in front of your vehicle. In Los Cabos, they've all been flattened. In Los Cabos the orange pollution hangs in the sky, here the air is crisp & fresh.
And best of all, in Cabo Pulmo there are still gigantic schools of Mobulas that like to play in the surf every evening. They sound like popcorn popping as they all simultaneously hit the surf.
In Los Cabos you may see the odd confused Mobula jump on the horizon, no doubt looking for his campadres he left back in Cabo Pulmo.
Speaking of which, there’s enough daylight left to go watch the Mobulas. J slips our ex-fisherman guide Samuel some pesos and he goes to fetch his truck. The Don Chuy is backed out into the waves, and I take up position at its bow. I'm watching keenly as the Panga glides through an ocean of glass. The sun has started its dip towards the horizon.
It's happy hour for the Mobula. Same for us. We crack a few beers while we scan.
…And right on queue. They go off. Pop! Pop! Pop!
Popcorn!
J and I both start to giggle, we'd
Stop following me you Asses
The wild burros just seem to know when I have carrots in my pockets. been listening to that song from Men Without Hats on the drive up.
Pop Goes the World. Not that funny to outsiders, but we completely lose it.
After their mesmerizing show, we slip into the ocean to do a little snorkel with them. Underwater they look like flocks of birds soaring on a breeze.
I hear J says it's time to go in, and I pout a little. We return inland just before the horizon falls off the earth.
Cabo Pulmo is a ghost town.
That's because everyone is at Tito's for his Thursday night Americanized buffet. J and I decide to have dinner at El Caballero instead. It's a bit rustic, but the food is very tasty. I had Chili Rellenos stuffed with seafood, and the red sauce was to die for. J had a whole seasoned red snapper. Lots of margaritas and lots of chats with the locals before we walk back.
In the desert where there is no light pollution, the star display overhead is unbelievable.
But I’m hearing French babble.
I'm always surprised at how often scuba divers are here from France but then I'm like,
oh right, Jacques
Last of the Great Cardons
Sadly, all the native cactus are being dug up and sold to resorts, there are hardly any left. Cousteau.
There is a party of about 30 of them drinking wine and nattering away in the big courtyard garden next to ours. My rusty French translates for J, some pretty excited verdicts from them on their dive day, and Cabo Pulmo, c’est magnifique! I wish we could join them and go for a dive tomorrow, but J doesn't have his Padi and I'm trying to save money for my next big trip overseas.
We spend the night in our hammock imagining what it would be like to live in Cabo Pulmo full time. It seems so peaceful here.
Early next morning, we discover not all is how it seems in peaceful Pulmo. Two Expats are yelling at each other over a comical two foot high fence. I lay there contemplating an intervention, but the colourful language is actually amusing. One Expat is accusing the other Expat of going on FB and spreading lies about him.
From what I can gather, several Expats that live on the ocean's edge have built cement walls to block everybody's access to the beach.
Newsflash: They can't do that. In Mexico all beaches are public property.
So in
retaliation, the offended Expats rolled gigantic boulders onto the road to block the offending Expats vehicles. So now they can't drive up to their ocean front properties.
Ha! Take that! Then I guess they all argue about it on social media. Until it boils over. Which brings us back to 6 am today.
No thanks. Entitled Americans and cheap Canadians living together in Mexico is just a recipe for disaster.
Well I guess since we're up, we might as well go for a hike into the scenic desert before the sun gets too high in the sky. All the Pulmo hiking trails are close to town, well marked and easy to follow. It is important to watch where you walk, a lot of things want to kill you out here. But the panoramic views are so worth it.
Wild Burros follow us back towards town. J can't figure out why, until he catches me sneaking carrots to them from my backpack.
My reputation as the burro whisperer, blown. Later in the afternoon, after a mandatory siesta in our hammock, we decide to drive to Arbolitos beach for a dip in the ocean.
Its
Beep Beep
The Roadrunner, or Corre Camino is a sneaky little bugger who likes to play chicken with your 4x4. the best shore reef and very easy to get to.
Head west, and follow the weathered signs. That is, if a hurricane hasn't taken them out, there should be official park signage. Follow a washboard track all the way down the hill. You'll have to drive though someone's ranch, and dodge a few cows and angry dogs. Don't worry, you have right of access. Everyone does. On most days, the rancher's son will be there with a clipboard, ready to take 40 pesos for you to park. Do it. It pays for the upkeep of the beach and gives you access to change rooms/bathrooms, and sometimes even, a food vendor.
Usually, though there is no one here at Arbolitos beach most of the year...but it is Easter weekend, so....chaos.
I highly recommend this beach. If you like to snorkel, you will see many massive fish loitering on the reef, and it's a real treat having them up close for inspection. They get very big when not over-fished. Also, a few turtles bob around in the background. Or a seal playfully comes in for a better look.
For some reason this year, the ocean temperature has been
Dry and Hot
As April turns to May, the desert dries out and becomes brown and dead looking. But it is still as alive as can be. quite cold, very odd for April.
Oh global warming, you made up crisis you. I'm glad I brought my wetsuit top with my snorkel gear. It was needed!
A local family who is tenting next to where we set up our beach umbrella, wave us over and present red solo cups full of freshly-made ceviche. I take one gracefully, but worry the fish might be caught from within the national park, which goes against everything I was soap boxing about earlier.
While J and I are having an animated debate in English on this very subject, the father wanders over and reassures us that he caught it this morning outside the park. He shows me on a map where.
Turns out he is a chef at one of the famous restaurants in Los Cabos and begins to talk about seafood sustainability with a passion.
I stand down .
We spend the rest of the weekend break enjoying the beauty of Cabo Pulmo park. It’s a real treat out there and if you want to know what old Baja was like before everyone arrived in Los Cabos. Go!
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RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
Donkeeeeeys!
So many of your photos in this blog are fabulous, but I had to comment on the super cuteness of this one - love those ears! The only time I've seen flying rays was when we were on a dawn fishing trip off the coast of Mazunte. We couldn't believe what we were seeing :)