Loreto Bay Marine Park & Puerto Gato
The National Geographic Sea Bird carried her guests northward from La Paz upon smooth seas. At dawn we found ourselves east of Isla del Carmen in Loreto Bay National Park. With the light of day we began our search for marine life in this very rich area, and we were not disappointed. Our first marine mammal sighting was brief, yet exciting. Dwarf sperm whales are very difficult to observe, but a couple were spotted resting at the surface before diving. Shortly afterwards we came upon some long-beaked common dolphins that were busy feeding. Then a humpback whale showed up. Looking around, small feeding frenzies allowed us to see or insinuate all levels of the food web: plankton – fish – birds – whales… There were even a couple of California sea lions in the midst of it all! Bird species included brown pelicans, blue-footed and brown boobies, black-vented shearwaters, magnificent frigatebirds, yellow-footed and Heermann’s gulls, and Craveri’s murrelets. Later some bottlenose dolphins rode the bow wave produced as the ship moved through the water. Interspersed between sightings were various briefings, snorkel gear distribution, and a geology presentation. Five marine mammal species is not a bad way to start off the first morning of our voyage!
After lunch we learned more about our cameras from Linda before setting off to shore at Puerto Gato on the Baja California Peninsula. Zodiacs ferried us to the beach, where we had various activities from which to choose: hiking, snorkeling, and kayaking. This was also the scenic setting for our beach barbeque. The ship’s personnel set up everything needed on shore for us to enjoy a scrumptious meal of salads, pulled pork, fish, potatoes, vegetables, watermelon, and brownies! Around the bonfire, we capped this wonderful and wondrous day with stories, stargazing, music, and, of course, s’mores.
