Isla Santa Catalina
National Geographic Sea Bird met the dawn in Bahía de Loreto National Park, a vast marine preserve that is home to whales, dolphins, countless species of fish, sea turtles and sea birds. The copper sunrise projected pinks on the clouds hovering over the Sierra de la Giganta, the spectacular spine of this section of the Baja Peninsula, directly to our west. Along with the morning’s light, we were greeted with a gentle breeze and delightful subtropical warmth as we strolled the outer decks to begin the first day of our voyage.
Exploring the National Park, which is supported in part by the joint LEX/National Geographic fund in tandem with our guests, our hope was to spot whales, especially blue whales. Before breakfast our first whale sighting brought us all to the bow. It was a humpback. After a number of good looks, the whale lifted its flukes as we went below to dine.
It didn’t take much time after our meal to spot more blows. These were powerful and tall, leading us to hope that we were on the trail of blue whales. Indeed we were. The astonishingly long back with the amazingly tiny dorsal fin surfaced regularly. We could easily see the mottled gray skin that shone aquamarine through the water. The best was yet to come, as the great whale raised its flukes repeatedly. This whale has a uniquely truncated right fluke, as you can see from the photo. An amazing morning!
Black-vented shearwaters, black storm-petrels, brown boobies and other birds also caught our attention.
Isla Santa Catalina was our afternoon focus. Snorkelers found colorful fish. Zodiac explorers found, among other sights, peregrine falcons, and hikers were treated to an unexpectedly abundant and divers flora, including the endemic giant barrel cactus.
National Geographic Sea Bird met the dawn in Bahía de Loreto National Park, a vast marine preserve that is home to whales, dolphins, countless species of fish, sea turtles and sea birds. The copper sunrise projected pinks on the clouds hovering over the Sierra de la Giganta, the spectacular spine of this section of the Baja Peninsula, directly to our west. Along with the morning’s light, we were greeted with a gentle breeze and delightful subtropical warmth as we strolled the outer decks to begin the first day of our voyage.
Exploring the National Park, which is supported in part by the joint LEX/National Geographic fund in tandem with our guests, our hope was to spot whales, especially blue whales. Before breakfast our first whale sighting brought us all to the bow. It was a humpback. After a number of good looks, the whale lifted its flukes as we went below to dine.
It didn’t take much time after our meal to spot more blows. These were powerful and tall, leading us to hope that we were on the trail of blue whales. Indeed we were. The astonishingly long back with the amazingly tiny dorsal fin surfaced regularly. We could easily see the mottled gray skin that shone aquamarine through the water. The best was yet to come, as the great whale raised its flukes repeatedly. This whale has a uniquely truncated right fluke, as you can see from the photo. An amazing morning!
Black-vented shearwaters, black storm-petrels, brown boobies and other birds also caught our attention.
Isla Santa Catalina was our afternoon focus. Snorkelers found colorful fish. Zodiac explorers found, among other sights, peregrine falcons, and hikers were treated to an unexpectedly abundant and divers flora, including the endemic giant barrel cactus.
