Light and shadow merged as the sun rose and lit up the Baja California peninsula. The National Geographic Sea Bird did a brief circle as the early risers searched for an elusive sunrise marine mammal, or perhaps it was the Easter Bunny? As we approached our anchorage near Gull Rock we could see mobula rays leaping high out of the water over and over, sometimes three or more at the same time. It was a very unusual sighting and it definitely required a deviation to our morning plans.

While the original intentions called for walks ashore, everyone first went out in our inflatable boats to get a good look at these rays. We could see thick clouds of rays gliding through the water about 12-15 feet below us. Initial thoughts of hundreds and hundreds quickly evolved into thousands and thousands of these beautiful creatures (Mobula tarapacarna to be specific). And, they kept leaping in the air, dark backs flipping over to white on their front. It was amazing how very close to us, sometimes a mere 10-20 feet away, they were and with loud slapping sounds as they landed on the water. As we pondered what we might be seeing, Linda Burback suggested it could be a “professional belly-flop competition.”

We eventually made it to shore for our hikes, and it was great to have a good leg stretch in this lovely arroyo. As we left the beach we passed through a break in a red rock dike into a peaceful canyon. Eventually people started drifting back to the beach and the inflatable boats and another opportunity to see and photograph these mobulas in flight. Perhaps most amazing is that these groups of rays around us were leaping in the air consistently for three hours!

There are good reasons this voyage is titled the “Remarkable Journey.” To describe everything we saw this day would take forever, so here’s a Remarkable Journey Checklist for March 27, 2016:

• Elusive sunrise mystery whale sighting (most likely a young humpback).

• Jumping mobula rays seen from the ship followed by close-up views from inflatable boats.

• Hikes—Long, medium, photo meander, and short, all up a dramatic arroyo.

• More jumping mobula rays seen from inflatable boats as we headed back to the ship.

• Small group of bottlenose dolphins as we set off after lunch.

• Even more jumping mobula rays seen and photographed from the ship as we cruised towards Isla San Ildefonso.

• Hammerhead shark sighting as we followed a frequently interrupted course.

• Huge group of long-beaked common dolphins, roughly 400, with a special guest appearance from a large billfish (marlin or sailfish) doing enormous leaps behind the dolphins, and elegant and royal terns reeling overhead.

• Miscellaneous sightings of mobula and manta rays leaping and splashing throughout the day. This was accompanied by distant whale blows without a confirmed sighting until late afternoon.

• Due to the many sightings that side-tracked our day, rather than the original plan for small boat tours at Isla San Ildefonso, Captain Kay brought the ship in close for a very slow drive-by for bird watching. Species seen included frigatebirds (and the frigate colony), brown boobies, blue-footed boobies, red-billed tropicbirds, brown pelicans, double-crested cormorants, Brandt’s cormorants, eared grebes, and peregrine falcons.

• Mystery whale Part II, blows but no id.

• Big blows, confirmed as a blue whale close to sunset.

• And, believe it or not, more jumping mobula rays!

What a day, incredible! We’ll sleep well tonight and dream of dolphins playing under the star-filled sky.