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65
Being the Baitball
in Isla Mujeres
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY SHAWN HE INRICHS
Partida. It had been a rough crossing — more than 20 hours
in big swells — to get to San Benedicto. The water was
choppy, the visibility marginal, and there wasn’t a single
manta. But overnight the weather gods turned friendly,
and when we arrived at Roca Partida the ocean was a lake.
Visibility was a crystalline 200 feet. Throughout our dives we
heard the songs of humpback whales, which was wonderful
but after a while started to feel like a big tease.
Then suddenly, there they were. At first all I saw were dark
shadows. As I got to 50 feet the shadows morphed into a one-
ton calf resting underneath its mother’s chin while an escort
hovered in the background. I maintained a respectful distance
of about 20 feet to avoid disturbing them (and to fit them
perfectly into my viewfinder). Slowly the calf emerged, headed
right toward me and did a pirouette as it swam to the surface
for a breath. As the mother followed, the calf gently placed
a fin on her back. The three whales swam a short distance,
dived to 60 feet and parked again. Every five minutes the
newborn would ascend once more to breathe. This went on
for two mornings, allowing me to shoot both stills and video.
Nothing is guaranteed in nature. But just this once,
everything came together. That’s the magic of the
Revillagigedos. You know something big and exciting is down
there waiting for you, but you’re never quite sure what or when.
Isla Mujeres is situated off the northeastern coast of Mexico’s
Yucatan Peninsula, just a 20-minute ferry ride from Cancun.
Despite its proximity to this bustling tourist hub, however, the
sea surrounding the island is famous for its abundant game
fish, whale sharks, manta rays and various other marine life.
Possibly even more than its whale sharks, the huge schools of
sailfish chasing shoals of sardines set Isla Mujeres apart.
Four years ago I made my first trip to Isla Mujeres seeking
encounters with the elusive sailfish. In more than 20 years of
diving I had never seen a sailfish underwater. In one moment,
Isla Mujeres changed all that for me, and over the following
four seasons I learned how to become one with the baitball.
ANATOMY OF A BAITBALL
Understanding the dynamics of a baitball is essential to
creating extended encounters and capturing epic images of
the magnificent fish in action. Seasons, weather, currents,
light, predators and prey are key variables in a complex
equation, and when they converge the result is nothing
short of spectacular.
In January, February and March, winter storms in the
northern Gulf of Mexico drive nutrient-rich waters south
over the shallow continental shelf that stretches from the
coast of the northern Yucatan. Massive schools of sardines
follow the currents, and, in turn, schools of sailfish follow
the sardines. When the prevailing winds shift back to the
southeast, they push clear-blue water from the Caribbean
Sea up and over the rich green waters, creating the perfect
conditions for an epic baitball.
Greatly outnumbered by the massive horde of sardines
pouring across the seafloor, the sailfish isolate a group
of sardines from the rest, forming a smaller and more
manageable baitball. The clash intensifies as the sailfish
launch an assault on the baitfish. Working as a unit, they