Bahia Magdalena and Sand Dollar Beach
After a night at anchor within the confines of Bahia Magdalena, we embarked on the first outing of our Baja California Photo Expedition this morning. We arrived on the shores of beautiful Isla Magdalena, a barrier island separating the shallow lagoon from the Pacific Ocean.
Isla Magdalena is a beautiful, dune-covered island, boasting some of the softest sand anywhere along the shores of Baja California. We explored in a multitude of ways, some of us joining the naturalists for information about the flora and fauna of the desert, others beginning their forays into photography with our Photo Instructors and National Geographic Photographers, while others still decided to forego the group exploration and seek solitude in the dunes. Sea purslane, sand verbena, and the aptly named “rattleweed” were amongst the flora that we encountered. Enormous piles of shells, formed into middens by the people once inhabiting this coastline, dotted the landscape in the low-lying areas between the dunes. Numerous coyote and jackrabbit tracks crisscrossed the sand, reminding us that things in a desert environment are never as static as they may seem. Once arriving to the shores of Sand Dollar Beach, dramatic waves slammed against the shore, the result of winds blowing in from the open Pacific Ocean. We poked along the sandy edge, discovering sand dollars, bird and fish skeletons, and beautiful pen shells.
During lunch, the National Geographic Sea Bird repositioned to an anchorage near Bahia Man of War, at the southern end of the Bahia Magdalena Lagoon. We ventured out by Zodiac to take advantage of views of the California gray whales that are still in the lagoon before making their long migration north to the Bering Strait. These unique cetaceans are unlike any of the other great whale species found in and around the Gulf of California. Their physical appearance and instinct to return to the same shallow lagoons year after year make them a favorite marine mammal for which to search during any visit to Baja California. The mottled color of the whales is always distinctive when they break through the surface and the water clarity was exceptional today. Blow after blow kept our heads turning as we followed the path of the animals through the water. This was our first encounter with cetaceans thus far on our journey and it was incredibly exciting to be so close to them.
After a return to the ship in the early evening, we gathered in the lounge to enjoy conversation, cocktails and commentary on our first adventures of the voyage. If today is any indication, the level of enthusiasm for nature and wild places will prove to be one of the best aspects of our two-week-long voyage. Bravo to our first day exploring Baja California Sur!
