Our fifth day brought the Sea Bird around the tip of the Baja peninsula and into the colorful and bustling town of Cabo San Lucas. Morning activities included bird watching, snorkeling, a little shopping and finally a long awaited entrance into the Gulf of California. The Sea Bird set sail at approximately 1300, headed northbound with calm seas toward Gorda Banks. It was our hope that we would be in the breeding and calving grounds of humpback whales for the remainder of the afternoon and early evening.

We continued north, and at 1600 the Sea Bird made her first sightings of whale blows. For the next two hours we observed many different humpback whale behaviors. There were juveniles playing tag. There were individual whales breathing and diving, showing off large and gorgeous flukes. As sunset approached a small whale was spotted in the distance doing a full body breach. The Sea Bird was at such a distance that we could not tell that we were observing a very, very, small whale. As one naturalist put it, this whale was born three hours ago!!! Slowly we approached until in the last golden rays of sunlight we were one hundred yards from a cow-calf pair of humpback whales. The baby rolled over its mother, played, tail lobbed and generally exhibited the close mammalian tie between mother and baby.