Bahia Magdalena, northern end in Boca de Soledad
What a special day here in gorgeous Magdalena Bay. We awoke to gray whales swimming alongside the National Geographic Sea Bird, so we climbed into the Zodiacs for a closer look. A few guests had the rare privilege of touching and even hugging the massive, soft creatures, as they spy hopped right next to the Zodiac, showing their eyes, nostrils, knuckle ridges and upper parts of their bodies. We saw many pairs of gray whale moms and their babies (cows and calves) blowing water above the surface in a heart-like shape, swimming side-by-side around the Zodiacs, and even nursing. We also saw some single adult whales that seemed to be getting friendly; it’s the peak of breeding season for the gray whales after all.
It was a great day for bird watching, too. We saw a great blue heron, a paragon falcon, Western gulls, frigate birds and double-crested cormorants. The latter flew in a seemingly endless ribbon, forming beautiful patterns above the Zodiacs as we whale-watched.
Peace surrounded us on a leisurely hike around great, big sand dunes. The beautiful curves and dips of the dunes provided the perfect backdrop for wonderful photographs. Guests followed coyote and bird footprints through the dunes and wandered down to the surrounding coast, finding seashells and crabs.
It just doesn’t get better than being this close to nature!
