Isla San José & At Sea, 3/23/2018, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Baja California
We began this fine day with an early landing to view the sunrise from ashore on Isla San José. Rosy clouds lit the morning sky. Later, hikes further inland revealed many interesting desert plants and animals. Our afternoon at sea was filled with nearly continual sightings of whales and dolphins.
Jack is a Seattle-based guide, wildlife biologist and professional photographer. For the past thirty years his photographs have appeared in prominent magazines, calendars and books including publications by Smithsonian, Audubon, and National Geograph...
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Our journey began in the most remarkable way, with the sun trumpeting the arrival of the morning with intense color. Just as we were getting our first cups of coffee, a blue whale surfaced nearby and off we went to see it. The immensity of the sleek, blue-gray animal left no doubt that we were seeing the largest animal alive. After breakfast the day continued with humpback whales breaching, fin whales swimming toward National Geographic Venture and pelicans flying in formation, one after another across the sea. The afternoon found us in Zodiacs amid a feeding frenzy of pelicans, cormorants, gulls, and boobies, all diving for fish just beneath the surface. Bottlenose dolphins leapt clear out of the water. Soon we landed on Coronado Island, stretching our legs on a long walk in the desert. The leafless vegetation disguised abundant life just one rainfall away. It was a remarkable day!
Our final day of this remarkable journey in Baja California was spent at Isla Coronado, in El Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto. Today was also the last day of Lindblad Expeditions’ 2023-2024 Baja California season. Heading north tomorrow!
It’s difficult to capture in just a paragraph all of the fun of our jam-packed day here in the Gulf of California. We were treated to a windless ocean from dawn to dusk. We began the day snorkeling with hundreds of inquisitive Guadalupe fur seals, at a colony on Isla Las Animas that was only discovered in 2019; this was the first such visit for a Lindblad Expedition. The water was relatively warm and clear, making for a fabulous experience in the ocean. En route to our afternoon landing at Ensenada Puerto Gato the ship was accompanied by a superpod of common dolphins that were actively feeding in the productive waters of the Gulf. Hikes, swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding were all on offer at our afternoon beach landing, in the setting of a beautifully rich red sandstone landscape. Phew, what a day!
