Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Our expedition began early today, as we lay at anchor off the island of Magdalena, on the Pacific side of the Peninsula of Baja California. This island is around 60 miles long, but narrow. As soon as the sun came up, we began to see the beauty of the Bay of Magdalena. Birds were visible: pelicans, gulls, cormorants.
After breakfast and the obligatory ship drills, we boarded our Zodiacs and headed straight for the island, less than a hundred yards away. There we set out to cross the island, about half a mile, along a series of soft sand while enjoying the salt plants to be seen everywhere. These included iodine bushes and sand verbenas. Further ahead, on higher ground, wild tomatillos, evening primroses, ground spurge, milkweed and loco weed.
And then the view!! The open Pacific in the Bay of Santa Maria. Here we saw the huge sand dollars, as well as shells of other mollusks. Even some bones of marine mammals!
As soon as we were back on our ship, we headed off North to the upper reaches of Magdalena Bay. Along the way, we enjoyed a good series of sea birds, as well as coyotes walking along the island.
The Devil’s Elbow awed us all, as we were sailing along with three feet of water under our keel. Then we saw our first gray whales, females with calves, and this continued to the northern tip of our island, where we anchored to hear an interesting lecture on the gray whale, by Larry Hobbs.
Our expedition began early today, as we lay at anchor off the island of Magdalena, on the Pacific side of the Peninsula of Baja California. This island is around 60 miles long, but narrow. As soon as the sun came up, we began to see the beauty of the Bay of Magdalena. Birds were visible: pelicans, gulls, cormorants.
After breakfast and the obligatory ship drills, we boarded our Zodiacs and headed straight for the island, less than a hundred yards away. There we set out to cross the island, about half a mile, along a series of soft sand while enjoying the salt plants to be seen everywhere. These included iodine bushes and sand verbenas. Further ahead, on higher ground, wild tomatillos, evening primroses, ground spurge, milkweed and loco weed.
And then the view!! The open Pacific in the Bay of Santa Maria. Here we saw the huge sand dollars, as well as shells of other mollusks. Even some bones of marine mammals!
As soon as we were back on our ship, we headed off North to the upper reaches of Magdalena Bay. Along the way, we enjoyed a good series of sea birds, as well as coyotes walking along the island.
The Devil’s Elbow awed us all, as we were sailing along with three feet of water under our keel. Then we saw our first gray whales, females with calves, and this continued to the northern tip of our island, where we anchored to hear an interesting lecture on the gray whale, by Larry Hobbs.
