Man o’ War Cove and Sand Dollar Beach, Isla Magdalena, 1/25/2023, National Geographic Venture
Aboard the
National Geographic Venture
Baja California
With a new moon this past weekend, there have been some incredibly high tides all over the world. For us in Baja California, that meant that this morning we were able to do something that is never possible on this itinerary – kayak in the mangroves!
In the afternoon, everyone went ashore for a beach day farther north on Isla Magdalena. Walking what felt like much more than half a mile over the sand dunes, we all enjoyed the plethora of sand dollars and other seashells scattered along the Pacific Coast of the island. Afterwards, we headed back to the ship for cocktail hour.
Jill is an aquatic biologist, naturalist, divemaster, and captain with a love for everything living in and depending on water. Whether sailing catamarans, leading snorkeling tours, or assisting with cetacean field research projects, she enjoys connec...
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We started our day with a gorgeous sunrise at Bahia Almejas, the southernmost area of Bahia Magdalena Lagoon. On our way looking for gray whales, we sailed with local “pangueros” who are the permit holders for this activity. First, we visited Margarita Island where hundreds of birds nest in the mangroves. Once in the lagoon, we witnessed different whale behaviors, including swimming alongside our pangas, spy-hopping, and breaching. What a sight to see! After returning to National Geographic Venture , we repositioned to visit Sand Dollar Beach on Magdalena Island where we found lots of treasures on our walk towards the Pacific. From blooming shore plants to middens left behind by the original nations that inhabited the peninsula, there was plenty to observe. The perfect ending to this wonderful day was our delicious Mexican fiesta dinner aboard.
Early this morning we headed out for our first whale watching activity in the northernmost section of Magdalena Bay, near the town of Adolfo Lopez Mateos. To do this, coaches drove us over the Magdalena Plains, a huge flat desert area composed of alluvial, powder-like ground produced by erosion of the majestic volcanic mountain range on the eastern side of the peninsula, La Giganta. We also crossed the Santo Domingo agricultural area which is considered the green basket of the peninsula due to the existence of an enormous acquifer. Once in Lopez Mateos, our guests and staff boarded pangas (outboard, fiber-glass boats) toward Boca de la Soledad at the northern entrance of the bay. There we found our first gray whales playing with the tidal currents. There were several adult females and males and a mother and calf pair. Then we returned to the dock and had a delicious lunch of local style pescado zarandeado and other delicacies. In the afternoon, we enjoyed additional excursions and everybody observed a coyote feeding on an eel and other creatures in the mudflats. We continued our exploration at an oyster farm where our guests were delighted with fresh locally farmed oysters. We all returned to National Geographic Venture happy and joyful for our first encounters with gray whales!
The morning began with a warming sunrise sparkling across the glassy calm water of Bahia Almejas. After breakfast, there was much excitement in the air, as we had perfect conditions for another round of whale watching with the local pangueros. The first stop was at a sandbar filled with seabirds, mostly cormorants and California brown pelicans, with a few gulls in the mix too. It was quite spectacular listening to them take flight, as they ran across the water and flapped their wings to venture off in search of a fishy meal. Then as we rounded the sandbar, the heart-shaped mist from the exhalations of several gray whales could be seen ahead. The whale watching was fantastic; gray whales were spyhopping, fluking, blowing bubbles, and rolling. Some guests even experienced a whale swimming alongside — or right underneath — their panga. During the afternoon aboard National Geographic Venture , we cruised from Bahia Almejas into Bahia Magdalena to La Entrada, where the bay and the open Pacific Ocean meet. We looked for wildlife from the bow and the decks, finding quite a variety: gray and humpback whales, large schools of fish, sea lions, pelicans, gulls, and cormorants, just to name a few.
