Bahia Almejas, 2/22/2024, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Baja California
World Whale Day was last week, ours was today. We spent the morning and afternoon in pangas on wavy, windy water watching whales: breaching, spy-hopping, logging, rolling, fluke-flipping, and slowly swimming under pangas. Many of us were baptized by the exhalent breath of close and up-wind whales. A ‘Wow’ Day.
It was Malle and Cousteau’s The Silent World , viewed in a dusty meeting hall on a wintry day in central Wisconsin that forged Jim’s dream and commitment to become a marine biologist. Never mind that he was only 8 at the time and that it would be a...
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What can I say about today? Magical . . . unforgettable . . . spectacular . . . “whale soup”. We went out in pangas in the morning and again in the afternoon, seeking gray whales in Bahia Almejas. With ideal conditions, calm wind and water, we were rewarded with excellent views of gray whale blows, backs, heads, and flukes as they rolled at the surface, took breaths, and occasionally came close to our pangas. They spy hopped (lifted their heads vertically out of the water) and swam slowly. We were grateful to observe them so peacefully in this lagoon where they were once hunted. It was an absolutely wonderful and memorable day.
The standing bet was that only two guests would wake up early to join the optional beach walk at 7am. It turned out 15 guests went for the hike, returning energized. After breakfast, we cruised along the eastern edge of Magdalena Island, with the dunes giving it a surreal appearance. We were joined by bottlenose dolphins who at times would ride the bow, much to our enjoyment. To see them roll on their sides to look up at us was amazing. After lunch, we headed to the narrow section of the 60-mile-long Magdalena Island. This island’s waist has dunes, shell middens, and specialized plants. We made it to the Pacific beach for an hour of shelling, then back to the bay-side beach for a bonfire. Just north of us, a coyote ran over the dunes, looking curious but wary. What a treat to view this amazing animal.
Today we were blessed with perfect weather and beautiful sunshine for all our activities. In the morning, we explored El Barril, a vast expanse of mangrove forest, via Zodiac, paddleboard, and kayak. During lunch we traveled north through Hull Canal to Adolfo Lopez Mateos. We spent the repositioning watching birds and bottlenose dolphins from the bow. In the afternoon we set out in local pangas to go looking for gray whales. There were many whales at Boca de Soledad, and even a brand-new baby! Among other highlights were an abundance of birdlife and some coyotes on the sand dunes. We enjoyed a Mexican fiesta dinner which included performances from local musicians, Los Coyotes de Magdalena, and local dancers, Las Flores del Desierto. It was a gorgeous day, and we can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
