There’s a whole other world to explore at the Los Coronado Islands where blue-footed boobies nest, where Elephant seals come to mate and where pods of dolphins race alongside fishing boats. Capt. Ben Griffith knows the four islands well. For the past five years, he’s ferried people to these small Mexican islands on his fishing boat in a six-hour-long excursion called the Nature Cruise. During the trip, Griffith narrates the history of the San Diego harbor and the Los Coronado islands, and points out the various bird species and marine mammals. On the way to the islands, it’s common to spot the back or tail of a migrating gray whale, as well as pods of dolphins — from bottlenose to Risso’s — playfully riding the waves alongside the boat. “I think the whole idea is that the dolphins aren’t going to perform for you,” Griffith said. “They’re looking at the people as much as the people are looking at them. The idea is that you can see these animals in the wild.” As the boat approaches the islands, scores of sea lions belly flop down the rocks and into the water to greet the fishing vessel in anticipation it will attract fish. Waves crash onto the steep rock of the islands and into caves hollowed out over the years. The American oystercatcher walks along the rocks, drilling its long, bright-red beak into mussels and shellfish for food during low tide. Thousands of brown pelicans and three varieties of cormorants live on the rocks. At times, the rare Xantus’s Murrelet is seen. Only a few fishermen live on the island, raising bluefin tuna for a private fishing company. Griffith researched the history of the islands dating back to the early 1500s — when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo apparently sailed right on by the islands, dismissing them as “burnt biscuits” — to the late 1800s when pirates pillaged ships carrying gold past the islands to the East Coast. The pirates took no prisoners and littered the waters with bodies, Griffith said. In the 1930s, a casino was built on a pier off the islands and the rich and famous sailed their yachts there from Hollywood to gamble and party. The casino was eventually abandoned; fishermen moved into the hotel and a storm eventually destroyed the buildings in 1983. The Nature Cruise departs from 1050 N. Harbor Drive at 10:15 a.m. Thursdays through Sundays. The tour runs from late December through May, after which Griffith gears up for his week-long, recreational fishing trips down the Mexican coast. “I started when I was 18 years old and I’m 69 years old now and I have no regrets,” Griffith said. “You don’t do it because of the pay but because you really enjoy working on the water, and you enjoy the people.”