At sea with the great whales, and Isla Santa Catalina
Our voyage here in Baja amongst the great whales started off with a bang. Just after sunrise, the second largest of all whales, a fin whale, was spotted. With a backdrop of the Sierra de la Giganta mountain range, this was the perfect start to our voyage. The morning only got better as after breakfast we spotted multiple blue whales. These are the largest animals ever to have lived, some having reached over 100 feet. One animal developed a regular pattern, staying down for about seven minutes, probably feeding on krill. It would then surface for a number of blows, showing off its blue tones as it traveled just below the surface. To the joy of everyone on board, many times it lifted its massive flukes high in the air before diving once again.
After lunch, we explored the island of Santa Catalina. An oceanic island, Catalina has never been attached to the main peninsula of Baja and thus contains quite a number of species found nowhere else. The granite arch shaped like an elephant welcomed us to Elephante Cove, and many of us walked up the dry river bed there. We were quickly dwarfed by the massive cardon cacti, some reaching up at least 40 feet and having 15 or more arms. Also impressive were the giant barrel cactus, an excellent example of island gigantism. Many lizards were seen of at least four species, all found nowhere else but here. And of course there were birds, including Gila woodpeckers, ash-throated flycatchers, and Costa’s hummingbirds.
As the sun was setting, we returned to the National Geographic Sea Bird to reflect on the day. A group of passing bottlenose dolphins was nice, but two more massive whales were seen passing by us at anchor. What a fantastic start to our voyage!
