Magdalena Bay
Throughout the night, the National Geographic Sea Bird sailed north towards Magdalena Bay in the Pacific Ocean. True to its name for once, we woke to glassy seas and beautiful conditions. At the Entrada to the bay, we encountered many seabirds, sea lions, a few scattered dolphins, and our main reason for coming to this area, gray whales. Our first sightings were of a few single adults, and these were the beginning of what we will be up to for the next few days.
In the mid-morning, we went ashore on Magdalena Island and crossed some spectacular dunes to Sand Dollar Beach. Here, many miles of pristine beach were ours to enjoy. Various shells and sand dollars littered the high tide line, and gentle breakers were inviting to the more adventurous amongst us. The tranquility of this place was astounding, and a more perfect beach would be difficult to find.
After a deck barbecue, we set out to transit the Hull Canal. This waterway is lined by mangrove trees and winds along for much of the 50 miles of Magdalena Island. It was the perfect time to transit as the tide was low, and an amazing array of birds was seen. Waders, waterfowl, and various egrets were certainly highlights. Numerous coyotes were also spotted out on the flats, searching for an easy meal.
In the late afternoon we reached our anchorage for the next two nights at the Boca de Soledad. Here, we again returned to viewing our final species of great whales on this voyage, the gray whale. We passed numerous individuals and a few cow/calf pairs, and numerous blows in the distance left us dreaming of our adventures for tomorrow.
Throughout the night, the National Geographic Sea Bird sailed north towards Magdalena Bay in the Pacific Ocean. True to its name for once, we woke to glassy seas and beautiful conditions. At the Entrada to the bay, we encountered many seabirds, sea lions, a few scattered dolphins, and our main reason for coming to this area, gray whales. Our first sightings were of a few single adults, and these were the beginning of what we will be up to for the next few days.
In the mid-morning, we went ashore on Magdalena Island and crossed some spectacular dunes to Sand Dollar Beach. Here, many miles of pristine beach were ours to enjoy. Various shells and sand dollars littered the high tide line, and gentle breakers were inviting to the more adventurous amongst us. The tranquility of this place was astounding, and a more perfect beach would be difficult to find.
After a deck barbecue, we set out to transit the Hull Canal. This waterway is lined by mangrove trees and winds along for much of the 50 miles of Magdalena Island. It was the perfect time to transit as the tide was low, and an amazing array of birds was seen. Waders, waterfowl, and various egrets were certainly highlights. Numerous coyotes were also spotted out on the flats, searching for an easy meal.
In the late afternoon we reached our anchorage for the next two nights at the Boca de Soledad. Here, we again returned to viewing our final species of great whales on this voyage, the gray whale. We passed numerous individuals and a few cow/calf pairs, and numerous blows in the distance left us dreaming of our adventures for tomorrow.
