We awoke to a thick fog that did not burn off until late morning when we returned to the ship, which made finding gray whales particularly challenging today. Persistence and good local knowledge from our panga drivers paid off, however. We finally found some whales far out in the Soledad (solitude) where the sea breaks its back on the shallow, sandy bottom of the Boca (mouth/entrance to the bay).
After lunch, we made our way south through the narrow and shallow Hull Canal. With the help of a local pilot driver, we made it to our afternoon destination at Sand Dollar Beach. This is the narrowest part of the barrier island Isla Magdalena. We walked across some barchan sand dunes to access Bahia Santa Maria, a beautiful beach on the Pacific Ocean side of Baja California.
