Cabo San Lucas and Gorda Banks
We awoke this morning at the southern tip of the Baja peninsula to a magical sunrise over Land’s End. As we tied up in Cabo San Lucas for the morning, we divided into three main groups to conquer this tourist mecca of Baja. Some shoppers set off in search of silver, handicrafts, and time-shares, while the birders went on a wonderful hike and encountered Scott’s orioles, the endemic grey thrasher, and a plethora of flowers. Meanwhile, some of us discovered the underwater world of Pelican Rocks, and were treated to colorful gems such as giant hawkfish, porkfish, and large schools of yellowtail surgeonfish.
For the afternoon, our goal was Gorda Banks and humpback whales. Shortly after leaving Cabo, we discovered our first group of whales. A mom and calf pair with an escort adult provided amazing views of these winged giants. We even dropped a hydrophone and heard distant singing of a hopeful male. Captain Kalbach was on a quest for a competitive group, and just as we reached Gorda Banks, one was spotted. We quickly postponed a lecture and turned and headed back towards Cabo to follow this amazing spectacle. The competitive group consisted of seven whales all being incredibly active. Many lunged at the surface with bottom jaws open and water filling their gaping mouths, possibly to appear larger to their competitors. We stayed with the group for many hours and were treated to countless flukes, and finally, as the sun came closer to the horizon, a few spectacular breaches. It was such a treat to spend so much quality time with such incredible behavior by these gentle giants.
We awoke this morning at the southern tip of the Baja peninsula to a magical sunrise over Land’s End. As we tied up in Cabo San Lucas for the morning, we divided into three main groups to conquer this tourist mecca of Baja. Some shoppers set off in search of silver, handicrafts, and time-shares, while the birders went on a wonderful hike and encountered Scott’s orioles, the endemic grey thrasher, and a plethora of flowers. Meanwhile, some of us discovered the underwater world of Pelican Rocks, and were treated to colorful gems such as giant hawkfish, porkfish, and large schools of yellowtail surgeonfish.
For the afternoon, our goal was Gorda Banks and humpback whales. Shortly after leaving Cabo, we discovered our first group of whales. A mom and calf pair with an escort adult provided amazing views of these winged giants. We even dropped a hydrophone and heard distant singing of a hopeful male. Captain Kalbach was on a quest for a competitive group, and just as we reached Gorda Banks, one was spotted. We quickly postponed a lecture and turned and headed back towards Cabo to follow this amazing spectacle. The competitive group consisted of seven whales all being incredibly active. Many lunged at the surface with bottom jaws open and water filling their gaping mouths, possibly to appear larger to their competitors. We stayed with the group for many hours and were treated to countless flukes, and finally, as the sun came closer to the horizon, a few spectacular breaches. It was such a treat to spend so much quality time with such incredible behavior by these gentle giants.
