Los Islotes & Ensenada Grande, 3/12/2018, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Baja California
The second day of our journey through Baja California started as we sailed south towards Los Islotes. This is a very special place, where California sea lions find a suitable environment to haul-out, and to form a breeding colony during the summer months. We spent the morning taking close looks at these wonderful marine mammals, and the multitude of seabirds that roost and nest on the volcanic rocks. We also had an afternoon full of activities in a place called Ensenada Grande. Here, we enjoyed a wonderful hike, paddleboarding, snorkeling, and kayaking.
Alberto fell in love with nature as a young child. Born and raised in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico, His father taught him from a very early age to understand, love, and respect nature. Due to his upbringing, Alberto became a biologist, decided to foll...
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Our second full day exploring Baja California was a very successful and pleasant one, starting early in the morning boarding local pangas to look for gray whales at Almejas Bay, located in the southernmost portion of the much larger Magdalena Bay. Just as yesterday, we found not one or two, but literally hundreds of whales! They were particularly active today, and we spent a wonderful time watching as many of them raised their heads vertically out of the water, an intriguing behavior known as spy-hopping. Up to four of five spy-hoppers could be seen at any given time, pretty much in all directions. It was amazing! In the afternoon, we landed at Belcher’s Point on Magdalena Island, where guests went kayaking, beachcombing, or hiking. Everyone had a great time, rounding out another wonderful day in Baja California.
During today’s sunny and breezeless early morning, our guests and staff ventured out in local pangas for whale watching at Almejas Bay, located in the southern section of the Magdalena Bay lagoon complex on the Pacific side of the Baja California Peninsula. With the tide at its highest, our exploration in the heart of the gray whale mating grounds paid off with more than 60 adult whales spotted in the area where our boats were spread out. All the whales were very active, displaying parts of their bodies while spy-hopping, breaching, swimming, diving, and even mating. Several females were seen in a belly-up position, allowing our guests and staff to clearly distinguish genitals and other typically hidden body parts. The whales’ curiosity brought many of them to the sides or underneath the pangas, sometimes pushing or lifting the boats with the tips of their snouts or their bellies. Many of our guests even stretched out their hands to touch the whales! The afternoon was spent exploring the beach and hills around Puerto Magdalena, a quaint fishing community on Magdalena Island. During a hike, our guests had their first encounter with the unique flora of the Baja California Desert, including agave, palo adan, gongylocarpus flowers, prickly pear, galloping cacti, jojoba, and others. From the top of the hills, they were treated to magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean.
Today guests of National Geographic Venture woke up to an amazing sunrise alongside Isla Santa Margarita before boarding pangas to embark on some incredible whale watching excursions. We saw spy hopping, breaching, and mating behavior. After an amazing morning, we had an afternoon of beachcombing and kayaking off Isla Magdalena.
