Cruising & Isla Coronados
We awoke heading south, measuring time by the brightness of the sky and the way the first light played across the tiny waves. This morning was supposed to be a bit more relaxed than the busy activities of yesterday. Bottlenose dolphins were widely scattered in the area. Then an unusual sight appeared in the distance, dolphins with broader dorsal fins than we had been observing. There is a certain delicious anxiety just before the answer comes. “Pilot whales,” was shouted from the bow. These large dolphins, along with killer whales, are in a group called the blackfish. They are up to about 18 feet long for males and 14 feet for females. They have large bulbous heads, are a shiny black and are found together in groups. There were about 30 moving slowly along with smaller aggregations farther away. We slowed down and waited as they passed next to the ship. The largest males weigh over 3 tons and command a most stunning presence. Like killer whales, they are intelligent, quite trainable and are exhibited in oceanariums. We watched and photographed them for over an hour.
Before most of us had finished our breakfasts we encountered sperm whales. We stopped well over a hundred yards from them to watch. This was a nursery group with about 13 animals. There were many ages of young and at least three large females. These often floated side by side. They turned and very slowly swam towards us. We shut off the ship’s engine, dropped a hydrophone and tuned in. The rattling of rhythmic clicks was astonishing. Individuals use these signature sounds to identify themselves and their locations.
They swam directly towards us, and we noticed a small calf between two of the females. The youngster seemed to be almost stuck to its mom. The other adult was so rotund that it may have been carrying a calf. She was so close against the mother that they both seemed to cradle the youngster between them. It’s almost as much fun to watch our shipmates run around gasping and uttering nonsensical expletives. Digital camera shutters drowned out the sperm whale clicks. Some of the younger whales kept nosing in towards the calf, repeatedly bringing their heads out of the water, opening their mouths or milling around energetically. Today’s image shows a mother and calf on the far right and the underside of anothers head showing its lower jaw. They swam past the ship, turned and swam back around for another look. We came about as close to sensory overload as one could. They seemed very curious about the ship or perhaps it was the hydrophone sounds that may have been passed back to them through the hull. It was all quite a thrill.
We continued on through other groups of sperm whales toward Isla Coronados for our afternoon outings. This recently active volcanic island has basalt flows around its center and newer ones down its sides. A group of guests climbed to the summit for awesome views, while others explored the flat, ancient seafloor that forms the island’s peninsula. A light-colored sandy beach curved off to the west and became the center of our swimming and snorkeling activities. We ended our day in this great place within Loreto Bay National Park. As the sun dropped behind the mountains of the Baja Peninsula we consumed a fine Mexican Fiesta dinner.
We awoke heading south, measuring time by the brightness of the sky and the way the first light played across the tiny waves. This morning was supposed to be a bit more relaxed than the busy activities of yesterday. Bottlenose dolphins were widely scattered in the area. Then an unusual sight appeared in the distance, dolphins with broader dorsal fins than we had been observing. There is a certain delicious anxiety just before the answer comes. “Pilot whales,” was shouted from the bow. These large dolphins, along with killer whales, are in a group called the blackfish. They are up to about 18 feet long for males and 14 feet for females. They have large bulbous heads, are a shiny black and are found together in groups. There were about 30 moving slowly along with smaller aggregations farther away. We slowed down and waited as they passed next to the ship. The largest males weigh over 3 tons and command a most stunning presence. Like killer whales, they are intelligent, quite trainable and are exhibited in oceanariums. We watched and photographed them for over an hour.
Before most of us had finished our breakfasts we encountered sperm whales. We stopped well over a hundred yards from them to watch. This was a nursery group with about 13 animals. There were many ages of young and at least three large females. These often floated side by side. They turned and very slowly swam towards us. We shut off the ship’s engine, dropped a hydrophone and tuned in. The rattling of rhythmic clicks was astonishing. Individuals use these signature sounds to identify themselves and their locations.
They swam directly towards us, and we noticed a small calf between two of the females. The youngster seemed to be almost stuck to its mom. The other adult was so rotund that it may have been carrying a calf. She was so close against the mother that they both seemed to cradle the youngster between them. It’s almost as much fun to watch our shipmates run around gasping and uttering nonsensical expletives. Digital camera shutters drowned out the sperm whale clicks. Some of the younger whales kept nosing in towards the calf, repeatedly bringing their heads out of the water, opening their mouths or milling around energetically. Today’s image shows a mother and calf on the far right and the underside of anothers head showing its lower jaw. They swam past the ship, turned and swam back around for another look. We came about as close to sensory overload as one could. They seemed very curious about the ship or perhaps it was the hydrophone sounds that may have been passed back to them through the hull. It was all quite a thrill.
We continued on through other groups of sperm whales toward Isla Coronados for our afternoon outings. This recently active volcanic island has basalt flows around its center and newer ones down its sides. A group of guests climbed to the summit for awesome views, while others explored the flat, ancient seafloor that forms the island’s peninsula. A light-colored sandy beach curved off to the west and became the center of our swimming and snorkeling activities. We ended our day in this great place within Loreto Bay National Park. As the sun dropped behind the mountains of the Baja Peninsula we consumed a fine Mexican Fiesta dinner.
