After leaving Mazatlan, we had a nice overnight sail to Isla Isabel. Isla Isabel is a small island off the Pacific coast of Mexico between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. It is also known as the “Galapagos of Mexico” because of the enormous number of birds that roost on the island and all of the iguanas.
We pulled into the anchorage on the south side of the island, which we read was known to swallow anchors because of its rocky bottom. So, Mike & I got in the water and dove on the anchor to make sure we were dug in pretty well and our chain wasn’t snagged on any rocks. The water was clear and blue and felt awesome after a long sail.
The anchorage isn’t very protected, so there was quite a bit of swell coming through and waves breaking on the rocks not far from the boat. But, we were determined to see this amazing island!
Once our buddies on Kya and Adios arrived, we went to shore to do some hiking and check out all the birds! If Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds creeped you out, you would not have liked Isla Isabel. Seriously, I have never seen so many birds (large birds) in one place in my life. But, they were amazing.
The male frigate birds have a red chest that they puff out and make a drumming type sound. All of the sounds of the island were incredible. I commented that I thought we were at Jurassic Park. That is seriously what it felt like hiking around the island. The tree cover was so thick that we got a bit lost at one point but eventually found our way back to the beach.
Dale (Adios), Katie (Kya) and Mike (Adagio)
Here are some photos of the frigates and boobies, including a fuzzy hatchling and one guarding an egg. Pretty cool!
There were so many kinds of birds and they let you get so close to them. This island must seriously be a bird lovers’ dream. I was just happy to get a few cool photos!
We also did some snorkeling around the reefs and appreciated the warm, clear waters. But, after a few days, we were off again to San Blas!
~katie