Gorda Banks, Cabo San Lucas
Through out the night the Sea Bird continued her southerly voyage, heading towards our morning destination of Gorda Banks. Our expedition leader Jim Kelly made an early wake-up call, encouraging everyone to bring their morning coffee to the bow as the blows of Humpback whales could be seen just ahead of the ship. The morning air was warm with light breezes as we headed south crossing the tropic of Cancer, at approximately twenty-three degrees north, latitude making our way into the tropics. The tip of the Baja peninsula lies just inside the northern area of the tropics and hence, climate, land, animals and vegetation show the changes of life in a warmer ecosystem. Our morning wake up call found the Sea Bird located just off of Boca de Tule with two humpback whales slightly ahead of the ship. They caught our attention due to their raucous behavior that included intense breathing sequences, tail lobbing, and rapid dives and surfacing. Excellent sea conditions and beautiful lighting made finding and spending time observing whales absolutely fabulous. Breakfast was announced, with the promise of following more Humpback whales, for the remainder of our morning.
Following breakfast and almost on cue, just as the bow of the Sea Bird filled with guests, a group of four humpback whales were spotted in what appeared to be competitive behavior. We were located just off of a point called La Fortuna a common area where humpback whales return every winter for mating and birthing. Between La Fortuna and Gorda Banks to the south, we observed several groups of whales that seemed to be engaged in a very complex social dance. There were bubble blasts, head lunges, sharp turns by male escorts with one particular male surfacing in what was called a crucifix block, keeping the other two males away from the single female who was obviously the object of a great deal of attention. All of this posturing activity was believed to be a prelude to mating. A graceful acrobatic dance was being orchestrated where one male humpback continued vying for the prime position as the solitary escort to a female. We continued watching these magnificent marine mammals throughout the morning, as they rose, bent their bodies gracefully, and then dove, leaving a waterfall cascading off of their flukes. They would return to the surface and we would hear a blast of exhalation, followed by a long intake of air, what a gift to our senses, both visual and auditory.
At approximately 11:00am the Sea Bird headed for our afternoon destination of Cabo San Lucas. As we traveled south along the Baja peninsula, more and more development could be seen. The shoreline grew thick with hotel complexes and houses, while a steady stream of boats traveled south, all heading for Lands End and Cabo San Lucas. This once sleepy fishing village of less than 500 people has turned into the largest resort community on the Baja peninsula. In the 1970's sports fishing started the tourism, but the most important change was the paving of a once extremely rugged dirt road that runs the entire length of the peninsula. This opened up a remote and exotic area to tourism for land operations and sea operations plying the productive waters of the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean.
Once the Sea Bird was secured in the main harbor of Cabo San Lucas our afternoon was spent either snorkeling at Playa Chilenos, or birding in the San Jose Estero in San Jose del Cabo. For some it was a time to wander the streets of both Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo braving the crowds and the ubiquitous t-shirt shops and tequila bars, in search of local markets, a quiet café to enjoy a local beer con limon, or a small gallery or shop that still expressed the old flavor and spirit of Mexico through its well-known and colorful folk art.
Through out the night the Sea Bird continued her southerly voyage, heading towards our morning destination of Gorda Banks. Our expedition leader Jim Kelly made an early wake-up call, encouraging everyone to bring their morning coffee to the bow as the blows of Humpback whales could be seen just ahead of the ship. The morning air was warm with light breezes as we headed south crossing the tropic of Cancer, at approximately twenty-three degrees north, latitude making our way into the tropics. The tip of the Baja peninsula lies just inside the northern area of the tropics and hence, climate, land, animals and vegetation show the changes of life in a warmer ecosystem. Our morning wake up call found the Sea Bird located just off of Boca de Tule with two humpback whales slightly ahead of the ship. They caught our attention due to their raucous behavior that included intense breathing sequences, tail lobbing, and rapid dives and surfacing. Excellent sea conditions and beautiful lighting made finding and spending time observing whales absolutely fabulous. Breakfast was announced, with the promise of following more Humpback whales, for the remainder of our morning.
Following breakfast and almost on cue, just as the bow of the Sea Bird filled with guests, a group of four humpback whales were spotted in what appeared to be competitive behavior. We were located just off of a point called La Fortuna a common area where humpback whales return every winter for mating and birthing. Between La Fortuna and Gorda Banks to the south, we observed several groups of whales that seemed to be engaged in a very complex social dance. There were bubble blasts, head lunges, sharp turns by male escorts with one particular male surfacing in what was called a crucifix block, keeping the other two males away from the single female who was obviously the object of a great deal of attention. All of this posturing activity was believed to be a prelude to mating. A graceful acrobatic dance was being orchestrated where one male humpback continued vying for the prime position as the solitary escort to a female. We continued watching these magnificent marine mammals throughout the morning, as they rose, bent their bodies gracefully, and then dove, leaving a waterfall cascading off of their flukes. They would return to the surface and we would hear a blast of exhalation, followed by a long intake of air, what a gift to our senses, both visual and auditory.
At approximately 11:00am the Sea Bird headed for our afternoon destination of Cabo San Lucas. As we traveled south along the Baja peninsula, more and more development could be seen. The shoreline grew thick with hotel complexes and houses, while a steady stream of boats traveled south, all heading for Lands End and Cabo San Lucas. This once sleepy fishing village of less than 500 people has turned into the largest resort community on the Baja peninsula. In the 1970's sports fishing started the tourism, but the most important change was the paving of a once extremely rugged dirt road that runs the entire length of the peninsula. This opened up a remote and exotic area to tourism for land operations and sea operations plying the productive waters of the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean.
Once the Sea Bird was secured in the main harbor of Cabo San Lucas our afternoon was spent either snorkeling at Playa Chilenos, or birding in the San Jose Estero in San Jose del Cabo. For some it was a time to wander the streets of both Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo braving the crowds and the ubiquitous t-shirt shops and tequila bars, in search of local markets, a quiet café to enjoy a local beer con limon, or a small gallery or shop that still expressed the old flavor and spirit of Mexico through its well-known and colorful folk art.
