Boca de Soledad
Part of the magic of an expedition is that each day is filled with surprises.
After having excellent luck the day before observing the California gray whales in Boca de Soledad, we expected more of the same today. Our expectations were high even though we knew the whales are preparing for their long migration north to the rich arctic waters in Alaska. But to our surprise, the whales we had seen and photographed yesterday may have been saying goodbye.
This morning after an early breakfast, the Zodiacs headed out in search of the whales. A fresh breeze and strong tidal current made for an exciting ride out to the mouth of the bay. Despite the challenging conditions we saw several mother whales and their young calves out among the wind and waves.
But the real surprise of the morning was an encounter with a pod of bottlenose dolphins. Today’s photo shows one of the dolphins leaping in front of a Zodiac filled with photographers. We only hope that our photos will come out as well.
The challenging conditions continued during the afternoon and the whales were playing hard to find. By late afternoon, as the wind died down, a number of whales magically appeared. Then suddenly a mother whale and baby gave us a thrill breaching several times in the late afternoon light.
Meanwhile on shore, a group of tripod-toting photographers captured the late afternoon light dancing on the sand dunes of Magdalena Island.
Tonight there was another surprise. We were treated to a special Fiesta dinner prepared by a group of local people from the small Mexican port of Lopez San Mateos. It was a festive evening on board, and another quiet night to sleep while at anchor.
Part of the magic of an expedition is that each day is filled with surprises.
After having excellent luck the day before observing the California gray whales in Boca de Soledad, we expected more of the same today. Our expectations were high even though we knew the whales are preparing for their long migration north to the rich arctic waters in Alaska. But to our surprise, the whales we had seen and photographed yesterday may have been saying goodbye.
This morning after an early breakfast, the Zodiacs headed out in search of the whales. A fresh breeze and strong tidal current made for an exciting ride out to the mouth of the bay. Despite the challenging conditions we saw several mother whales and their young calves out among the wind and waves.
But the real surprise of the morning was an encounter with a pod of bottlenose dolphins. Today’s photo shows one of the dolphins leaping in front of a Zodiac filled with photographers. We only hope that our photos will come out as well.
The challenging conditions continued during the afternoon and the whales were playing hard to find. By late afternoon, as the wind died down, a number of whales magically appeared. Then suddenly a mother whale and baby gave us a thrill breaching several times in the late afternoon light.
Meanwhile on shore, a group of tripod-toting photographers captured the late afternoon light dancing on the sand dunes of Magdalena Island.
Tonight there was another surprise. We were treated to a special Fiesta dinner prepared by a group of local people from the small Mexican port of Lopez San Mateos. It was a festive evening on board, and another quiet night to sleep while at anchor.
