Magdalena Bay, 2/14/2018, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Baja California
After several stunning days in the Sea of Cortez, we awoke in the Pacific Ocean this morning. Our first day on the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula was filled with amazing wildlife sightings from the deck of the NationalGeographic Sea Bird as we cruised north for most of the day.
David grew up in the Seattle area, where he fell in love with nature through outdoor sports in the Pacific Northwest. He first picked up a camera during a 14-day Grand Canyon river trip at the age of 18. Little did he know that his hobby would morph ...
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There is nothing quite like waking up to the sunrise on the waters of the Gulf of California. Today we had the opportunity to cruise around Cabo Pulmo, one of the better managed marine reserves in Mexico, declared in 1995 and promising some of the greatest recovery in fish biomass in any marine reserve worldwide. We cruised around with the local guides on board their pangas – small skiffs – where we encountered a large group of grey whales that got curious among our presence. The whales came close and spy hopped around our boats for several hours. On our way back to National Geographic Venture , we were also greeted by some humpback whale mommas and their calves, and a pretty big pod of dolphins. During the afternoon, we went ashore to explore the coast of Los Frailes Bay where we got to experience some of the local vegetation and bird life. There is an arroyo that contains remains of a lake in the dry season but continues to have a lot of greenery and life. For those that were especially adventurous, we had the chance to rock scramble along some hills and walk among the stunning dunes.
Our plan for the day was to search for humpback whales in the rich waters of the cape region. Being that National Geographic Venture is an incredible platform for wildlife watching, we were well equipped as we crossed by Cabo San Lucas and steamed towards Gorda Banks. Cruising in calm seas, we spotted whales all around us. Mother and calf humpbacks swam by while larger groups breached repeatedly and slapped their pectoral fins on the water’s surface. To add to the diversity of marine life, several gray whales and common dolphins passed by the bow of our ship along with a suite of seabirds, marlins, and sea turtles. A day at sea well spent, the sun set as we looked towards Cabo Pulmo on the horizon.
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.
