Isla Carmen, Gulf of California , 12/21/2022, National Geographic Venture
Aboard the
National Geographic Venture
Baja California
Our first day exploring the Gulf of California was an amazing introduction to “The World’s Aquarium.” We had sightings of blue and fin whales, perhaps even a Bryde’s whale. We also enjoyed wonderful snorkeling in this beautiful place.
Kim is a marine biologist, fine art photographer, and avid fisherman. Based in Juneau, Alaska, Lingít Aaní, she spends her time between the mountains and the ocean. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Cognitive Neuroscience from the Unive...
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Happy New Year’s Eve from the staff and crew of National Geographic Venture ! Our morning aboard the ship began early with cruising around Parque National Bahia de Loreto, where guests witnessed sea turtles, mahi mahi, and even a blue whale from aboard the ship! In the afternoon, guests enjoyed snorkeling off Punta San Marcial, as well as hiking on the island. During the hikes, onboard Undersea Specialist Ayla Townsend and Expedition Diver Melissa Heres embarked on a scuba dive to record undersea footage for all guests to witness and enjoy at the end of the trip.
Today was a magical day of weather and wildlife experiences on National Geographic Venture . In the mid islands we were able to land on Isla San Esteban, hiked up the arroyo, and even found an endemic chuckwalla. The vessel repositioned during lunch and we had two rounds of Zodiac cruises circumnavigating Isla San Pedro Martir. Blue-footed boobies, brown boobies, red-billed tropic birds, brown pelicans, Neotropic cormorants, and yellow-footed gulls were observed in incredible numbers. A stunning sunset ended this fantastic and exciting day!
Our first full day of our voyage in the Gulf of California began as expected with a spectacular sunrise as we cruised toward our destination of Isla San Marcos. Half of the island is an operational gypsum mine and the other has some great views from the plateau. We began our operations for the day with a snorkel outing. The waters just off the beach are filled with schools of fish and interesting invertebrate species. It was our first snorkel of the voyage and an amazing way to start. Everyone was eager to learn about the marine life of the Gulf of California. After lunch, we headed back out for hikes ashore led by our natural history staff. Strenuous hikers ventured up to the plateau for great views of the coastal waters. Moderate hikers explored the arroyo landscape, while casual hikers surveyed the tide pools along the shore. Through wavy conditions, we loaded up the Zodiacs and headed back to the ship to enjoy cocktail hour and dinner aboard National Geographic Venture .
