Santa Rosa Island, 12/5/2019, National Geographic Venture
Aboard the
National Geographic Venture
California Coast
On our second day here in the Channel Islands, we awoke near the shores of Santa Rosa. From the sandy beaches of this beautiful location we hiked in search of the native torrey pine, kayaked among the fringes of the kelp forest, and enjoyed a rare rainy day in the national park. In the afternoon we set off in search of wildlife and found ourselves watching northern elephant seals on the wild shores of San Miguel Island, one of the most windswept of the Channel Islands.
Kayvon Malek is an underwater videographer whose work as an expedition guide and in the wildlife documentary industry have taken him pole to pole. After taking a scuba course on a whim in college, Kayvon’s newfound obsession led him to working as a r...
Dexter grew up in England where a love for exploring the countryside ignited a lifelong passion for discovering natural history and embarking on adventure. As a teenager, two trips to India sparked a fascination with insects and a desire to share a “...
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Today the adventurers aboard National Geographic Venture embodied the true spirit and meaning of expedition mentality. After gusts of up to 40mph and swells of more than five feet, the backside of Catalina Island was too weather restricted to be a good spot to perform land operations. Guests, crew, and staff pivoted quickly to a plan of wildlife cruising while heading for safe harbor by the shores of Malibu. Little did everyone realize that the unexpected way the day would unfold would be all the more joyful due to our new plan. Cruising brought sightings of many seabirds such as, brown pelicans, fulmars, and shearwaters presumably making their way south away from the Santa Ana winds that were filling in quickly. Guests enjoyed expedition staff presentations and trivia games before being treated to one of the most spectacular wildlife encounters a ship can experience on the California coast. An hour before sunset the ship wide announcement was made that we were surrounded by a megapod of Common dolphins. A megapod or super pod of dolphins is usually considered to contain one thousand or more dolphins, so this was a special interaction. After our final dinner and slideshow, we were treated to another sighting of this same species of dolphin, but at night in waters filled with bioluminescent plankton lighting up when agitated by the movement of the dolphins that were chasing fish in front of the bow of the ship. Today really was a sight to see.
The only way to describe this morning was “sparkling”. Constant glittery sunshine greeted the hikers and Zodiac tours of Santa Cruz Island’s Prisoner’s Bay. All hikers were lucky enough to see the Santa Cruz Island scrub jay, endemic and larger than its mainland cousins. A few guests were also treated with views of the Santa Cruz Island endemic fox. The second photo in this report is the view of Prisoner’s Bay from sea. The white gatekeeper’s watchhouse can be seen on the hillside. When the Caire family lived here, the gatekeeper would alert the family, who lived three miles inland, of who was visiting. The keeper’s friends would sometimes stop by to say hello and bring him his favorite drink, a glass of cow’s milk. Our afternoon was spent at nearby Anacapa Island, cruising in Zodiacs viewing the craggy island and its animal life.
Our morning aboard National Geographic Venture began with a wonderful stretch class led by our onboard wellness specialist, Sabina. Following breakfast, guests embarked on hikes on Santa Rosa Island, ranging from casual meanders in search of birds, to a 8 mile hike where guests witnessed the endemic Torrey pine and Santa Rosa island fox. In the afternoon, guests embarked on Zodiacs to cruise around Santa Rosa, observing hundreds of seabirds while learning about kelp forests and the fascinating history behind the island.
