This is Baja California, Mexico, it’s the gateway to the Sea of Cortez. It is a place
of such beautiful energy, Everyday I was electric with excitement. However, like all journey’s,
my time in the Sea of Cortez aboard this beautiful boat came and went.
I came here for the expected. To see and film thousands of Mobula Rays. It’s footage I
shared in my last video of this series.
But if there is one thing I learned while in the sea of Cortez, It’s that the unexpected
moments are what make travel amazing. And seeing the unexpected drives me to explore
more.
This is a striped marlin. One of the fastest, if not, the fastest fish in the world.
It’s not really what I expected to film with my drone, but it quickly became one of
my favorite subjects to photograph.
Getting a close detail shot of it was a highlight of this journey. The stripes and it’s size,
visible here, are the biggest differences from it’s cousin the blue marlin.
Not only are they fast, they are big. And this one was around 8 feet long. Because of
their large size, marlin are prized sport fish.
Striped marlin are a highly migratory fish living near the top of the food chain. In
fact, large pelagic sharks or toothed whales prey are the only other species that prey
on them.
I did not know they were in such high abundance in the Sea of Cortez. But not a lot is known
about their spawning periods and behaviors.
One thing noticed on this fish is the abundance of parasites on its body. On Striped marlins,
two species of external parasites are found on the skin. One is a flatworm, which is likely
seen here, and the other is a species of copepod known as “fish lice”. Fish lice are the
only crustacean fish-parasite known to infect humans, so they should be treated with caution.
What I found interesting when researching this fish, is that not much is known about
how these parasites actually attach themselves to such a fast fish.
What I do know is that, if you are lucky enough to see their blue and purple dorsal fin above
water, you will be treated to some of nature's most beautiful display of color.
But it was beneath the water, that I experienced something I will never forget. And it was
something I did not expect.
If you know me, you know I love sharks. And there’s one shark that is second to none
in beauty. The Whale shark. And the joy I felt when I finally saw one will forever be
etched in my memory. Sharing just a few moments beside this wonderful creature was the highlight
of my trip to the sea of cortez.
Seeing it from above and below water is such a contrast. What appeared clear above, was
so different below. Here you can actually see the nutrients and plankton they feed on
below. Whale sharks are filter feeders and can neither bite nor chew. They can process
more than 6,000 litres of water an hour through their gills.
The global distribution of whale sharks is very important because they indicate the presence
of plankton, which is vital to measuring the overall health of our oceans.
Whale sharks are not only the largest shark, they are also the largest of any fish alive
today. It's thought that less than 10% of whale sharks born survive to adulthood, but
those that do may live to 150.
They are gentle giants feeding on the smallest
of sea life. Here you can see it is filtering the water for plankton as it gracefully cruises
through the shallows. Its teeth are so tiny that they can only eat small shrimp, fish
and plankton. But this type of feeding unfortunately means these fish are susceptible to eating
plastic waste.
Every year these sharks appear in the sea of Cortez in large numbers, mainly to feed
on the nutrients of the sea. They migrate large distances at a very slow rate. Usually
just above 3mph. Unfortunately this puts them in direct danger of accidentally getting caught
in commercial fishing gear.
My time with this shark, observing it from above and below, quite literally brought me
tears of joy. Like seeing a cheetah run on the African plains, or standing underneath
the northern lights, swimming beside a whale shark was just as grand.
From up close I could see its unique pattern. A pattern that apparently each individual
has of it’s own.
Sometimes it takes being beside a giant to help you realize just how small you are in
the world, yet how much you can impact it. That nature must be protected, preserved,
and respected for the generations to come. Who knows where this whale shark is right
now, hopefully safe in the Sea of Cortez. After this experience, I know I will strive
more to do my small part to help protect it. It’s the least I can do for a place that’s
so beautiful.