La Boca de Soledad & el Pacifico
With an incoming tide and a northwest wind, the Boca de Soledad, translated as “The Mouth of Solitude,” lived up to its name. The undulating waters of this narrow channel serve as the entry and exit to the Pacific for California gray whales as they complete one leg of their journey to Baja from Alaska. We scanned the seas from our bobbing Zodiac and spotted several large bushy blows. At almost 45 feet, these animals dwarfed our 20 foot inflatable boats. When two adult whales surfaced only yards from us, our excitement reached a crescendo. Our morning cruises had been met with adventurous conditions, but our close encounters made it all worth it.
Upon exiting Magdalena Bay, the National Geographic Sea Lion made her first wake in the Pacific Ocean. The largest of Earth’s oceans, the Pacific is a highly productive body of water that holds many mysteries yet to be discovered. With following winds and seas, the ship gently pitched as we headed south towards the Cape. After two days in the protected waters of Magdalena Bay, the quiet rocking of the ship was a welcome and soothing sensation to many. But our siestas would not last long.
From all directions and with blinding speed approached scores of long-beaked common dolphins. Often in small, synchronous groups, these small dolphins seemed intent on bow riding and jumping our wake. For nearly half and hour there was not a bad viewpoint on the ship. Crammed together in impossible density were a dozen or more animals riding the bow. From the port and starboard we could watch dolphins jumping from nearly straight below and if one ventured to the stern, dolphins could be seen jumping and surfing our wake.
This encounter with dozens of dolphins seemed to mark a new chapter in our expedition. From here on out, we could expect the unexpected.
To view video footage from today's expedition, click here.
