whale sharks
Amanda, Josh, and myself went on a Whale Shark tour in La Paz Bay. Despite being a massive shark, the largest of the species, they are completely harmless. They filter feed on plankton, don’t have teeth, and their throats are only the size of a soccer ball. They also have terrible vision and huge blind spots so a few times they turn and are directed right at you with their giant mouths open wide and gulping in water!
isla cerralvo
Another day I linked up with some strangers and took a boat tour to Isla Cerralvo, which sits off the coast of La Ventana and serves as a beautiful backdrop to all the kiting photos. The captain first took us to Punta Arenas and I expressed my displeasure: “This was booked as an island tour. I can drive to Punta Arenas... and I did drive to Punta Arenas and snorkeled around. Come on!” But the rest of the day had some amazing underwater adventures with fish, reef, and the most playful sea lion I have ever met.
That was the highlight for sure! But there were tons of other beautiful fish (pics below) and Here is a link to the snorkeling video.
drone
They dropped us off at a beach to relax but I decided that time would better be spent getting some drone shots of the island from above. I also learned that it is quite difficult to land the drone on a moving target, AKA the boat.
For New Years Eve, some of the locals in La Ventana set up a huge production (rave, party, shindig, whatever you’d like to call it) in an arroyo just outside of town. They had numerous DJ sets, laser lights, bonfires, and a crazy Burning-Man-esque art installation with fire and it was all for free! This event seemed like it would go for at least $100 a ticket anywhere else. We danced and partied all night and then went to sleep at Playa Agua Caliente just as the sun began to rise.