During an early start today, we were happily treated to a “painted sky sunrise,” a light breeze, and a setting full moon. We spent the morning exploring the mangroves at El Barril on kayaks and standup paddleboards.
After returning to National Geographic Sea Bird, we pulled anchor and started our journey north through the narrow channel of Soledad, passing mangroves and sand dunes along the way. Guests spent time on the bow as we cruised through the channel, and we spotted bottlenose dolphins. We enjoyed good birdwatching as we traveled, observing terns, brown pelicans, white ibises, magnificent frigatebirds, and various shorebirds. During the transit, naturalist Hiroshi Kawashima lectured on the other Mexico, a cultural heritage of Baja California.
After dropping anchor, we headed to the beach for interpretive walks on the sand dunes. After playing around on the dunes for a little over an hour, we headed back to the ship for our Mexican fiesta. During cocktail hour, we were delighted by the music of Los Coyotes, a local band from Adolfo Lopez Mateos. Everyone had a great time. We enjoyed a mezcal tasting and some dancing, followed by a savory dinner. One can only imagine what the whales will offer tomorrow.
