Page 569 - Visitor Guides

travel CLOCKWISE Sea of Cortez
FROM LEFT: Stone
Scorpionfish, with
dorsal fin raised,
at Ravijunco,
San Pedro Martir
Island; Tube-
dwelling anemone
tentacles flow-
ing with current;
Pacific creolefish
resting in a crevice
on the rocky reef
at night; Giant
hawkfish hiding in
a crevice on the
rocky reef off San
Pedro Martir Island

dens. Countless
scorpionfish, in a
multitude of colors, dotted the
reef, along with several giant
hawkfish, tube-dwelling anemo-
nes and panamic cushion stars.
After dark we returned to
Ravi Junco, scouring the large
rock formations to find sleeping
fish, moray eels and scaveng-
ing pinto spiny lobsters.

followed closely
by an aggre-
gation of king
angelfish and
chromis, and
then ultimately
more sea lions
joined us at
our safety stop,
posing for pho-
tos amidst the
sun’s rays. El Morro II and Shareny. ous destinations like the Socorro
Two more amazing rock Islands, Cocos or the Galapagos,
El Arroyo. That pinnacles were explored I found the colors and reef life
afternoon we the following morning at here much more vibrant. While
dove a site El Morro II and Shareny. each of these locations has similar
called El Arroyo Each was covered in underwater topography and fish
Ravi Junco and El Morro. The early unwitting divers, playing in their where deep gorgonians, hydroids, species, only the Sea of Cortez
morning was spent frolicking with bubbles. From there we moved to sand channels sponges, black coral had reefs with such vitality and
sea lions at Ravi Junco as they a rocky pinnacle called El Morro, separate rock and large schools of reef beauty.
swam circles around each other where a huge school of Pacific formations and fish. When compared
and us, often hovering above creolefish swam by to greet us, black coral gar- to some of my previ-
Panamic cushion star covered in hundreds of baby brittle stars
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