Brilliant Venus, along with a crescent moon and tiny Mercury lingered together in the pre-dawn sky with Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter stretching in a line towards the west. Many on board could see this celestial drama, because today’s outings in the realm of the gray whales began early. Shortly after sunrise the first boats departed. After yesterday’s experiences, any additional whale viewing opportunities would be cream on the cake, but whatever expectations any of us had were more than topped as the day unfolded. A cow and her calf approached our expedition landing craft. The mother was incredibly calm, relaxed, and patient. She lay motionless at the surface while her new youngster frolicked beside her. Every now and then she spun upside down in a graceful spiral, almost in slow motion. Throughout both rounds of tours in our inflatables, the two whales seemed to never tire of interacting with our boats. It is amazing that mammals so completely unlike us will seek out humans when there are no food rewards, yet many gray whales will do this. Still, today’s encounters were truly exceptional. After wonderful views, it was finally time to leave these curious creatures and head south.
The crew served lunch on deck so all could enjoy the shoreline scenery as we motored towards our afternoon destination. Mangroves and sand dunes slipped past, while egrets, herons, and shorebirds foraged in the shallows. Several bottlenose dolphins drew close and caught the pressure wave in front of the bow. With a free push from the ship, these individuals could weave back and forth effortlessly as we watched from above.
In mid-afternoon we reached our anchorage for a lovely walk across the dunes to the Pacific Ocean where a crescent beach stretches for miles. Sand dollars and seashells lie scattered about on this far shore. In addition, there are shell deposits within the dunes. Some of these are ancient middens, piles of shells cast away by humans who gathered them here long ago. Coyote tracks paralleled the high tide line, and a few hikers watched one as it tried to grab a grebe struggling on the sand. The sun set over the Pacific while National Geographic Sea Bird rested quietly at anchor. Orion appeared in the southeast as darkness settled over us on our final night together on our voyage “Among the Great Whales.”
