San Jose del Cabo & Gorda Bank
During the night we had traveled south along the Pacific coast of the Baja peninsula. Sunrise was spectacular, directly opposite the setting full moon. Many of us gathered on the bow with our coffee mugs in hand, and watched about a dozen bottlenose dolphins near a humpback whale mother with her calf. We watched another humpback whale surface and dive several times before turning to the north to the new marina at La Playa.
We spent the morning exploring San Jose del Cabo, a charming town located about 15 miles east of bustling, busy Cabo San Lucas. Many guests walked along an estuary, where birdwatchers spotted nearly 35 species. Others opted to visit the many fine craft shops and galleries in the pretty town of San Jose del Cabo.
About four miles to the southeast of San Jose del Cabo sits Gorda Bank, an underwater mountain that reaches above the seafloor to within about 45 feet of the surface. In the early afternoon we found many humpback whales here. Several groups of whales were in ‘competitive groups’ - most likely 3 or 4 males competing amongst themselves to mate with a female. They swam rapidly, and occasionally we saw them slap their tail flukes on the surface, or breach. An unusually large group of bottlenose dolphins, 300-400 of them, swam around the whales and our ship, the National Geographic Sea Lion. Using the hydrophone, we heard dolphin whistles and bits of humpback whale vocalizations. We continued watching humpback whales, dolphins, a sea turtle, and even a thresher shark under sunny afternoon skies.
Finally we turned northwards and into the Gulf of California. Off in the distance humpback whales were breaching repeatedly. At least a dozen humpback whales were visible in all directions around us, including a mother and calf. Mobula rays were abundant, and quite easy to see as each jumped several feet out of the water, flipped over, and landed with a splash. Daytime came to an end much as it had begun for us; sunset over the peninsula, and the golden full moon rising just after dark. What a beautiful day!
During the night we had traveled south along the Pacific coast of the Baja peninsula. Sunrise was spectacular, directly opposite the setting full moon. Many of us gathered on the bow with our coffee mugs in hand, and watched about a dozen bottlenose dolphins near a humpback whale mother with her calf. We watched another humpback whale surface and dive several times before turning to the north to the new marina at La Playa.
We spent the morning exploring San Jose del Cabo, a charming town located about 15 miles east of bustling, busy Cabo San Lucas. Many guests walked along an estuary, where birdwatchers spotted nearly 35 species. Others opted to visit the many fine craft shops and galleries in the pretty town of San Jose del Cabo.
About four miles to the southeast of San Jose del Cabo sits Gorda Bank, an underwater mountain that reaches above the seafloor to within about 45 feet of the surface. In the early afternoon we found many humpback whales here. Several groups of whales were in ‘competitive groups’ - most likely 3 or 4 males competing amongst themselves to mate with a female. They swam rapidly, and occasionally we saw them slap their tail flukes on the surface, or breach. An unusually large group of bottlenose dolphins, 300-400 of them, swam around the whales and our ship, the National Geographic Sea Lion. Using the hydrophone, we heard dolphin whistles and bits of humpback whale vocalizations. We continued watching humpback whales, dolphins, a sea turtle, and even a thresher shark under sunny afternoon skies.
Finally we turned northwards and into the Gulf of California. Off in the distance humpback whales were breaching repeatedly. At least a dozen humpback whales were visible in all directions around us, including a mother and calf. Mobula rays were abundant, and quite easy to see as each jumped several feet out of the water, flipped over, and landed with a splash. Daytime came to an end much as it had begun for us; sunset over the peninsula, and the golden full moon rising just after dark. What a beautiful day!
