The Sea of Cortez is home to some of the most diverse and plentiful sea life on the North American West Coast.
I have seen dorado, dolphins, flying fish, giant grey and sperm whales, manta rays hopping out of the water sunning themselves and a plethora of other curious marine life. Of all the sea life I have seen, nothing is as stunning and interesting as the whale shark.
Typically measuring from 20 to 40 feet long, these friendly sharks travel all around the world, and a population of them comes to the Sea of Cortez to feed every winter. They do not have the sharp, scary teeth you see in other sharks. To eat, they use their giant mouths to suck in mass amounts of water. The water goes through a cross-flow filtration system in their bodies, and they feast on tiny organisms, much like many whales.
Underneath these massive creatures lives an ecosystem all its own. Schools of fish swim with them for protection and food scraps. Some fish even latch on to them, hitching a ride throughout the ocean.
Tyler and I had the opportunity to join members of Whale Shark Mexico, an organization of marine biologists dedicated to studying whale sharks and protecting them (they are an endangered species), as they collected DNA samples and measured gill and fin sizes, among other things.
Being in the ocean less than a foot away from a creature more than six times your size is a life-changing experience. As human beings, we may think we own this world and know everything about it, yet being next to something so giant, ancient and otherworldly is a reminder of how vast and complex our world is: There are creatures that have been here long before us, and they will probably be here long after we go.
This experience made me want to grow gills, build a whale harness and ride into the deepest recesses of the ocean, where I would start a tribe of underwater Samurai warriors that ride whale sharks, live in sea caves and leap into action whenever good must fight evil.
But alas, life is more complicated than that, and at the moment my boat still isn’t ready to sail.
Our new project is to find a used mast in decent condition because our main mast had termite damage. Such setbacks no longer upset me. I have been through so many highs and lows at this point that all I can do is focus on solutions rather than problems.
I can see the boat in my head, cutting through swells with full sails taking us to a adventure after adventure, and I won’t rest until that vision is a reality.
Kevin Schank graduated from Durango High School in 2004 and Fort Lewis College in 2010. Follow Schank at www.MoreHandsOnDeck.com.
