ISLA ESPIRITU SANTO, Mexico _ I'd just snorkeled into a sea cave. Before I could see much of anything, a sea lion pup burst in front of me and nuzzled my hand with a whiskered snout. It tickled. Then came another pup, and another, all eager to play.
Well, I thought, that didn't take long. It had been barely six hours since our panga started puttering toward the Baja desert island of Espiritu Santo, and the standout moment was already at hand. It seemed too easy.
And then the weather changed, night fell and the shouting began.
Archipielago Espiritu Santo is one of Mexico's youngest national parks, and Isla Espiritu Santo, surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Gulf of California, is its marquee attraction.
There are no roads, no bridges, no permanent human population. Apart from a few rangers and anglers, the only people who sleep ashore are guests and staff of a handful of eco-campgrounds that have won government permits in recent years.
On a peninsula where development hums more loudly every day, that makes the island an outlier in every sense, and I wanted a look.
The island, about 31 square miles, sits 18 miles north of La Paz. The high ground is close to 2,000 feet above sea level, and the slopes are studded with tall cardon cactuses _ island cousins of the mainland's saguaros.
Turkey vultures perch on the cactuses while pelicans and cormorants glide overhead. Meanwhile, the waters seethe with creatures that divers and snorkelers prize. Moorish idols. Parrotfish, Mexican goatfish. Sardines by the score. Moray eels. Sea turtles.
I didn't see manta rays, hammerhead sharks or whale sharks this time, but people often do.
