Common bottlenose dolphins surfed our our bow wake and raced alongside the National Geographic Sea Bird early this morning as the stretch class raised their arms overhead and saluted the rising sun. Shortly after breakfast, we anchored off a tiny island called Los Islotes, made of huge volcanic rocks; a great place for bird watching and a natural habitat for California sea lions. Our nimble Zodiacs made their way for close ups of brown and blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds, and the raucous sea lions, some playing in the water alongside us while others scrambled up the rocky terrain or rested lazily in a pile with their buddies. We donned our wetsuits for closer encounters in the water with the playful pups and other tropical fish that inhabit this rich with wildlife place.
Heading south with the wind, and having just finished our delicious ice cream sundaes, we were alerted to fin whales not far off, so our nimble ship changed direction and followed them for some time. The second in size only to the mighty blue whale, it was a nice showing of a group of at least five of these mighty baleens. We stayed with them for a while as they surfaced to feed in this area, but we eventually needed to continue on for our afternoon outing.
Our photo experts gathered the best of the guests’ photos for a group slideshow during Recap tonight. Meanwhile other guests kept a watchful eye for wildlife or lounged on this dreamy afternoon putting off packing as long as possible! Landing on a wide expansive beach of a lovely island called Espíritu Santos, we found the perfect place to be barefoot and beachcomb the beautiful shells, scramble up over the dunes, or sit and enjoy the lapping waves of the turquoise waters. What a glorious day and perfect ending to a great week in Baja, and the final voyage of the season for the National Geographic Sea Bird!
