After recovering from the last boat trip, we once again set to sea two days later (the 20th). This time we had the wonderful privilege to have a Seri elder as our guide. Our main goal was to cross the Sea of Cortez yet again to reach San Esteban. We couldn’t have picked a better day. The sea conditions were perfect, on a Beaufort scale the waves were maybe 1, but probably .5. There was 
literally steam coming off of the calm sea which made the panga ride quite pleasurable. We saw a pod of dolphins but didn’t stop to observe because our time was limited and every minute was crucial. However, after passing Isla Dalil we couldn’t resist the oh-so inquisitive Long Beak Common Dolphin. We estimated a pod of 30-40. Lots of photos were taken and Tad spoke about the differences in the species species that we saw.
Manuel, the Seri elder had us stop at a certain point before reaching the island. He explained that his people were very fluid and would travel back and forth to islands in the Sea of Cortez in of search food. They would get
stuck on island for weeks at a time and would have to wait out storms. Translated quote from Manuel about a particular song they would sing: “Seri’s would wait on shore line with high winds and sing to keep their spirits up”. He referred to the area that we stopped at as “where the current collides” or “The place of the giant current.” This is an important cultural spot for the Seri’s. Before crossing this particular current they would sing a song to meditate and to build up stamina and courage. Before even entering the water the females would sing four songs to the men to encourage them. Also let me stress that the way the crossed the sea was 
on raft-like canoes made from reeds tied together at the end.
Something else Manuel pointed out was that the Seri culture is being lost more and more each day. The kids are not learning the songs, and I believe he stated that there are only maybe 3 men that know all the songs. On July 1st they celebrate New Years. They get together and have contests of who can sing the most songs and carry the tone the best. Manuel has never lost. It was a great privilege to have him with us that day, for the tribe has been around for 4,000 years and could be gone tomorrow.
We set foot on San Esteban and were
immediately approached by the Mexican Army. It seems as if they were camping out on the islands for possibly several days. It is harvesting season for marijuana, and from what I hear the military has been in full force. Just a few weeks ago the military busted a group of smugglers. They had to toss out kilos of pot from their boat as they were being chased. Needless to say the fishermen had a real good catch that day. The men were nice to us and offered any assistance they could. We hiked about 300 yards in and sat around a very large cardone that stood probably 15 – 20 feet tall. We had the opportunity to ask question to Manuel. Manuel 
told us a story about the young Seri men climbing to the top of a mountain and sliding down a steep slope in sea turtle shells in order to ensure their man hood. On the way back Tad caught a San Esteban Chuckwalla. He explained a bit of the anatomy of the chuckwalla then I had the opportunity to hold it.
Snorkeling that day was amazing! Absolutely flipping amazing! We snorkeled with dozens of playful sea lions. I can not express in words how amazing was to the swim with sea lions, but I’ll try. It’s kind of like going to the beach and playing Frisbee with your favorite puppy, but even better. The area alone was gorgeous. I have learned a very valuable lesson: snorkel around Cosme. He has been fishing commercially for years. His eye is trained to spot certain animals like sea cucumber, starfish, crustaceans, octopus, eels, etc. That man finds the coolest things. We wrapped things up and called it a day.
literally steam coming off of the calm sea which made the panga ride quite pleasurable. We saw a pod of dolphins but didn’t stop to observe because our time was limited and every minute was crucial. However, after passing Isla Dalil we couldn’t resist the oh-so inquisitive Long Beak Common Dolphin. We estimated a pod of 30-40. Lots of photos were taken and Tad spoke about the differences in the species species that we saw.Manuel, the Seri elder had us stop at a certain point before reaching the island. He explained that his people were very fluid and would travel back and forth to islands in the Sea of Cortez in of search food. They would get
stuck on island for weeks at a time and would have to wait out storms. Translated quote from Manuel about a particular song they would sing: “Seri’s would wait on shore line with high winds and sing to keep their spirits up”. He referred to the area that we stopped at as “where the current collides” or “The place of the giant current.” This is an important cultural spot for the Seri’s. Before crossing this particular current they would sing a song to meditate and to build up stamina and courage. Before even entering the water the females would sing four songs to the men to encourage them. Also let me stress that the way the crossed the sea was 
on raft-like canoes made from reeds tied together at the end.Something else Manuel pointed out was that the Seri culture is being lost more and more each day. The kids are not learning the songs, and I believe he stated that there are only maybe 3 men that know all the songs. On July 1st they celebrate New Years. They get together and have contests of who can sing the most songs and carry the tone the best. Manuel has never lost. It was a great privilege to have him with us that day, for the tribe has been around for 4,000 years and could be gone tomorrow.
We set foot on San Esteban and were
immediately approached by the Mexican Army. It seems as if they were camping out on the islands for possibly several days. It is harvesting season for marijuana, and from what I hear the military has been in full force. Just a few weeks ago the military busted a group of smugglers. They had to toss out kilos of pot from their boat as they were being chased. Needless to say the fishermen had a real good catch that day. The men were nice to us and offered any assistance they could. We hiked about 300 yards in and sat around a very large cardone that stood probably 15 – 20 feet tall. We had the opportunity to ask question to Manuel. Manuel 
told us a story about the young Seri men climbing to the top of a mountain and sliding down a steep slope in sea turtle shells in order to ensure their man hood. On the way back Tad caught a San Esteban Chuckwalla. He explained a bit of the anatomy of the chuckwalla then I had the opportunity to hold it.Snorkeling that day was amazing! Absolutely flipping amazing! We snorkeled with dozens of playful sea lions. I can not express in words how amazing was to the swim with sea lions, but I’ll try. It’s kind of like going to the beach and playing Frisbee with your favorite puppy, but even better. The area alone was gorgeous. I have learned a very valuable lesson: snorkel around Cosme. He has been fishing commercially for years. His eye is trained to spot certain animals like sea cucumber, starfish, crustaceans, octopus, eels, etc. That man finds the coolest things. We wrapped things up and called it a day.
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