Our expedition leader’s melodious voice awoke us extra early this morning; we didn’t want to waste any time getting out for another round of gray whale viewing. Zodiacs were lowered and we set off before breakfast. We could see fog over the horizon, but luckily it held back and we had nice weather all morning. Though Magdalena Bay is most dominantly populated by cow/calf pairs, we sometimes see lone males and females looking for mates. Today was one of those days and we had the opportunity to witness mating displays.

As we sailed out of the Hull Canal we spent time on the bow enjoying the sunshine and various whale blows. Taking advantage of the nice weather, dessert was served on our upper deck; delicious pistachio paletas from La Paz—yum! Later in the afternoon guests were able to collect their snorkel gear for their upcoming opportunities to get into the refreshing water in the Sea of Cortez.

After sailing south through the afternoon, we arrived at La Entrada, the entrance to Bahia Magdalena. Just offshore of Isla Margarita we encountered a pod of common beaked dolphins. We knew these dolphins were prevalent in this area and were hoping for an encounter—lucky us! The dolphins wove in and out of the waves and bow rode the National Geographic Sea Bird. One of our tools of discovery onboard is a bow cam so those who didn’t want to view the dolphins on the bow could enjoy the live-feed of these marine mammals from the comfort of the lounge.

We finished our evening by learning about the fascinating geology of the Baja Peninsula and then sailed across the Tropic of Cancer during the night.