Hull Canal and Boca de Soledad, 1/29/2020, National Geographic Sea Lion
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Lion
Baja California
We spent our morning aboard today transiting the Hull Canal. We had great birding session along the shoreline and mangroves with yellow-crowned night herons and white ibises being part of the day’s highlight. Bottlenose dolphins graced us with their presence, bow riding beside National Geographic Sea Lion through the Magdalena Bay. We anchor in Boca de Soledad for lunch and an afternoon of watching the gray whales in the entrada.
An educator at heart, Dan finds great joy in helping others explore and connect with the world around them. He has taught marine sciences in the Florida Keys and on Catalina Island, science and math in international schools in Mexico, Costa Rica, and ...
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Our morning started with an incredible sunrise close to El Barril where we spotted our first grey whales while anchored! After breakfast, guests enjoyed kayaking and Zodiac cruises through incredible mangroves where we encountered all kinds of bird and marine life. After lunch, National Geographic Sea Bird cruised through Hull Canal, or Canal la Soledad, towards Boca de Soledad. Once we anchored, we enjoyed our first whale watching outing aboard locally captained pangas. Once all guests were back aboard, we welcomed Los Coyotes de Magdalena and Las Flores del Desierto. What a way to start our expedition!
This morning was our last time in pangas to observe the plethora of life here in Magdalena Bay. From the shorebirds resting and digesting on the sandspits and mangroves, to the gray whales spy-hopping in whack-a-mole fashion in Bahia Almejas there was plenty to see. We ended our voyage with a visit to a small, tenacious village on Isla Magdalena. Stories of the history of the island were told as we enjoyed the hospitality of our host, Chejos. It was a lovely finale to our adventures in Baja California.
The day began with an exhilarating stretch class just after sunrise. Gray whales were spotted on our way south and guests enjoyed the early morning at the bow looking at whales, dolphins, and a couple of curious sea lions. Essentially, we saw whales all the way to the mouth of Bahia Almejas. During the morning whale watch outing, we boarded pangas with local captains who took us to the best spots. The experience with the whales was characterized by the number of spy hops we saw. At one point we counted up to 10 whales in the same area! For the second outing in the afternoon, some boats were lucky enough to see whales up close and even touched them. We were fortunate to have perfect weather all day which allowed us to calmly enjoy the whales going about their daily activities. Back on board National Geographic Sea Bird , guests felt inspired by what we’ve experienced and put it in watercolor. At the end of the day, we attended a presentation about climate change with guest speaker, Joy Ward.
