Cruising south to Cabo San Lucas
We awoke this morning in the open Pacific, just south of the entrance to Magdalena Bay, and continued on our journey towards the Gulf of California. A few seabirds, including shearwaters, fulmars, and phalaropes, were spotted, but the pickings were slim. All of a sudden a distant breach appeared. As we came closer, a few humpback whales fluked and a different whale fin and behavior caught our eyes. Our chief mate slowed the Sea Bird, and allowed for some amazing views of surface feeding whales. We were not sure of Bryde’s or Sei whales until we were able to see the three longitudinal ridges on the rostrum of one individual. Three Bryde’s whales were feeding just under the surface, performing a diagnostic ballet of constant direction change. In the incredible photo above, one lifted up and out of the water upside down, probably on a feeding lunge. One is able to see the non-expanded throat pleats on the top, the closed eye, and the ridges on the upside down rostrum. The whales continued to skim feed just below the surface as we headed on further south.
As we approached Land’s End and the increasingly popular Spring break destination of Cabo San Lucas, beautiful views of the granitic spine of the peninsula came into view. Sea lions were camped out on the rocks, while a peregrine patrolled overhead. As we rounded the tip and passed by El Arco, it was quite a shock to see the excessive tourism of Cabo after spending so much amazing time amongst the gray whales in the Biosphere Reserve of San Ignacio Lagoon.
We awoke this morning in the open Pacific, just south of the entrance to Magdalena Bay, and continued on our journey towards the Gulf of California. A few seabirds, including shearwaters, fulmars, and phalaropes, were spotted, but the pickings were slim. All of a sudden a distant breach appeared. As we came closer, a few humpback whales fluked and a different whale fin and behavior caught our eyes. Our chief mate slowed the Sea Bird, and allowed for some amazing views of surface feeding whales. We were not sure of Bryde’s or Sei whales until we were able to see the three longitudinal ridges on the rostrum of one individual. Three Bryde’s whales were feeding just under the surface, performing a diagnostic ballet of constant direction change. In the incredible photo above, one lifted up and out of the water upside down, probably on a feeding lunge. One is able to see the non-expanded throat pleats on the top, the closed eye, and the ridges on the upside down rostrum. The whales continued to skim feed just below the surface as we headed on further south.
As we approached Land’s End and the increasingly popular Spring break destination of Cabo San Lucas, beautiful views of the granitic spine of the peninsula came into view. Sea lions were camped out on the rocks, while a peregrine patrolled overhead. As we rounded the tip and passed by El Arco, it was quite a shock to see the excessive tourism of Cabo after spending so much amazing time amongst the gray whales in the Biosphere Reserve of San Ignacio Lagoon.
