Cruising to Puerto Gatos, 4/1/2018, National Geographic Sea Lion
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Lion
Baja California
A grand finale we had indeed. Puerto Gatos is an incredibly scenic bay in the Sea of Cortez and an epic way to end our expedition. We were ushered in by a squad of dolphins un the hundreds, so loud their underwater vocalizations could be heard inside the ship. We were also graced by the presence of several blue whales, the largest creature to ever live. We made landfall in the afternoon and after a few small boat cruises and some walks, we relaxed on the beach with a final beach BBQ and farewell dinner.
Pacific Northwest born James Hyde grew up immersed in the Salish Sea, on Vashon Island with Seattle as his backdrop. A passionate traveler from a young age, James explored four continents before finishing his degree at Western Washington University's...
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We started our final morning along a beautiful coastline where some hiked along a shell-laden canyon and others explored the nearby seas via Zodiac. After an adventurous morning, we set sail on National Geographic Venture to search for the largest animal on the planet, the mighty blue whale, and we found five!
We started our day early by visiting El Cardonal on La Isla Espiritu Santo. Some guests opted to snorkel, exploring the corals and fish of the Gulf of California, while others chose to soak in the views of turquoise waters via Zodiac cruise, exploring the mangroves and watching birds. In the afternoon, we went ashore to explore the coastal town of La Paz. We watched a beautiful cultural representation of regional dances and music, all taking place along the malecon of the town, before enjoying a traditional Mexican dinner.
There is nothing quite like waking up to the sunrise on the waters of the Gulf of California. Today we had the opportunity to cruise around Cabo Pulmo, one of the better managed marine reserves in Mexico, declared in 1995 and promising some of the greatest recovery in fish biomass in any marine reserve worldwide. We cruised around with the local guides on board their pangas – small skiffs – where we encountered a large group of grey whales that got curious among our presence. The whales came close and spy hopped around our boats for several hours. On our way back to National Geographic Venture , we were also greeted by some humpback whale mommas and their calves, and a pretty big pod of dolphins. During the afternoon, we went ashore to explore the coast of Los Frailes Bay where we got to experience some of the local vegetation and bird life. There is an arroyo that contains remains of a lake in the dry season but continues to have a lot of greenery and life. For those that were especially adventurous, we had the chance to rock scramble along some hills and walk among the stunning dunes.
