Magdalena Bay
Today was another gloriously clear and breezy day in Magdalena Bay. As soon as we finished breakfast, we boarded Zodiacs to get closer looks at gray whales. The wind and current were running together so waves were small. Once again, we found gray whale mothers with young calves. Sometimes as we waited for the whales to surface, we would see enormous round ‘fluke prints;’ the upward stroke of a whale’s tail pushes up so much water that the surface smoothes out for a minute or two. It always feels special when a 40-foot long, 35 ton whale is so close by , especially when one is sitting on a small, inflatable boat!
With our trusted friend and pilot, Alejandro, in Sea Bird’s wheelhouse, we spent the afternoon transiting south, following the narrow, shifting channel past mangroves and sand dunes. Flocks of willets flew past the bow, and egrets, pelicans and cormorants perched on mangroves. Occasionally bottlenose dolphins accompanied us, catching a free ride on Sea Bird’s pressure wave before peeling off into the green water. Two bald eagles looked enormous standing on the sand dunes.
Within minutes of passing from Magdalena Bay into the Pacific Ocean, we saw another species of small cetacean: long beaked common dolphins. About one hundred of the slender dolphins swam energetically near the ship. Skies were still crystal clear as the sun lowered, casting a yellowish light on the mountains. We saw a very tall blow from a large whale, then, not far off, blows from two more whales. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the last bit of it was green, and several people can now say they have finally seen the ‘green flash!’
Today was another gloriously clear and breezy day in Magdalena Bay. As soon as we finished breakfast, we boarded Zodiacs to get closer looks at gray whales. The wind and current were running together so waves were small. Once again, we found gray whale mothers with young calves. Sometimes as we waited for the whales to surface, we would see enormous round ‘fluke prints;’ the upward stroke of a whale’s tail pushes up so much water that the surface smoothes out for a minute or two. It always feels special when a 40-foot long, 35 ton whale is so close by , especially when one is sitting on a small, inflatable boat!
With our trusted friend and pilot, Alejandro, in Sea Bird’s wheelhouse, we spent the afternoon transiting south, following the narrow, shifting channel past mangroves and sand dunes. Flocks of willets flew past the bow, and egrets, pelicans and cormorants perched on mangroves. Occasionally bottlenose dolphins accompanied us, catching a free ride on Sea Bird’s pressure wave before peeling off into the green water. Two bald eagles looked enormous standing on the sand dunes.
Within minutes of passing from Magdalena Bay into the Pacific Ocean, we saw another species of small cetacean: long beaked common dolphins. About one hundred of the slender dolphins swam energetically near the ship. Skies were still crystal clear as the sun lowered, casting a yellowish light on the mountains. We saw a very tall blow from a large whale, then, not far off, blows from two more whales. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the last bit of it was green, and several people can now say they have finally seen the ‘green flash!’
