Isla Todos Santos
Encyclopedia
Isla Todos Santos is a pair of islands about 19.3km (12mi) off Ensenada
, Baja California
at 31°47′59"N 116°47′20"W best known for surfing
. Access is only by boat, which can be rented out from Ensenada, or La Bufadora
. The waves off the smallest island are some of the biggest waves in the North American continent, rivaled in size only by Maverick's
and the Cortes Bank
. The islands are also home to an endemic subspecies of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow
. There is also a subspecies of Kingsnake, the Todos Santos Island Kingsnake, Lampropeltis zonata herrerae (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1923). The type species of the fish genus Bajacalifornia
, Bajacalifornia burragei, was discovered during the USS Albatross deep sea expedition off the coast of Todos Santos Bay in 1911.
Ensenada, Baja California
Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico and the third-largest city in Baja California. It is located south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula. The city is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, or, The Cinderella of the Pacific...
, Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
at 31°47′59"N 116°47′20"W best known for surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
. Access is only by boat, which can be rented out from Ensenada, or La Bufadora
La Bufadora
La Bufadora is a marine geyser or blowhole located on the Punta Banda Peninsula in Baja California, Mexico. The spout of sea water is the result of air, trapped in a sea cave, exploding upwards. Air is forced into the cave by wave action and is released when the water recedes. This interaction not...
. The waves off the smallest island are some of the biggest waves in the North American continent, rivaled in size only by Maverick's
Mavericks (location)
Maverick's or Mavericks is a surfing location in Northern California, U.S.A.. It is located approximately 2 miles from shore in Pillar Point Harbor just north of Half Moon Bay at the village of Princeton-By-The-Sea. After a strong winter storm in the northern Pacific Ocean, waves can routinely...
and the Cortes Bank
Cortes Bank
Cortes Bank is a dangerously shallow chain of underwater mountains in the Pacific Ocean, about 115 miles west of Point Loma San Diego, USA, and about 50 miles south-west of San Clemente Island, Los Angeles County....
. The islands are also home to an endemic subspecies of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
The Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Aimophila ruficeps, is a smallish American sparrow. This passerine is primarily found across the Southwestern United States and much of the interior of Mexico, south to the transverse mountain range, and to the Pacific coast to the southwest of the transverse range. Its...
. There is also a subspecies of Kingsnake, the Todos Santos Island Kingsnake, Lampropeltis zonata herrerae (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1923). The type species of the fish genus Bajacalifornia
Bajacalifornia
Bajacalifornia is a fish genus from the family Alepocephalidae. It was described in 1925 by Charles Haskins Townsend and John Treadwell Nichols on the basis of Bajacalifornia burragei which was discovered in 1911 during the deep sea expedition of the research vessel USS Albatross off the coast of...
, Bajacalifornia burragei, was discovered during the USS Albatross deep sea expedition off the coast of Todos Santos Bay in 1911.