Cabo San Lucas & Gorda Banks
If ever the two sides of Cabo San Lucas were present, it was during this most recent of portages. Our departure past Land’s End this morning revealed Cabo’s more gentle side. The sound of waves, wind and sea lions was music to our ears, replacing the din of dance clubs.
After sunrise we headed towards Gorda Banks, a shallow area rich with marine activity due to an underwater sea mount that helps channel upwelling nutrients to the wintering populations that feed there. As hoped, we were joined by a group of four humpback whales who were in the midst of what could have been competitive mating behavior. Tipped off by their rapid pace, it is assumed there was one female being pursued by three males each in hopes of becoming the dominant male and eventual suitor.
After a good dose of this high speed action, we turned the show over to our birder extraordinaire, Libby Mills, for her lecture on much smaller species. While Libby began her presentation by comparing the awkward posture of whale watchers, (cue photo of guests curled over the bow) with that of the clearly more refined birder, (photo of someone looking to the sky), I couldn’t help but notice how graceful all the birders in the room looked viewing the screen with their binoculars!
With a little more knowledge of cetacean and avian behaviors under our belt, we were led into mid- afternoon with another display of humpback behavior. This time we came across a hyperactive calf. With a clear flare for the dramatic, this little guy must have breached 100 times in the hour or so we were with him. By exposing his white underside on nearly every leap, we were able to infer after photographic inspection that he must have indeed been a bouncing baby boy.
While we began the day doubting whether we could have topped yesterday’s humpback acrobatics, this was indeed a day full of unique activity. With calm waters and clear skies to boot, this turned out to be a day to remember.
If ever the two sides of Cabo San Lucas were present, it was during this most recent of portages. Our departure past Land’s End this morning revealed Cabo’s more gentle side. The sound of waves, wind and sea lions was music to our ears, replacing the din of dance clubs.
After sunrise we headed towards Gorda Banks, a shallow area rich with marine activity due to an underwater sea mount that helps channel upwelling nutrients to the wintering populations that feed there. As hoped, we were joined by a group of four humpback whales who were in the midst of what could have been competitive mating behavior. Tipped off by their rapid pace, it is assumed there was one female being pursued by three males each in hopes of becoming the dominant male and eventual suitor.
After a good dose of this high speed action, we turned the show over to our birder extraordinaire, Libby Mills, for her lecture on much smaller species. While Libby began her presentation by comparing the awkward posture of whale watchers, (cue photo of guests curled over the bow) with that of the clearly more refined birder, (photo of someone looking to the sky), I couldn’t help but notice how graceful all the birders in the room looked viewing the screen with their binoculars!
With a little more knowledge of cetacean and avian behaviors under our belt, we were led into mid- afternoon with another display of humpback behavior. This time we came across a hyperactive calf. With a clear flare for the dramatic, this little guy must have breached 100 times in the hour or so we were with him. By exposing his white underside on nearly every leap, we were able to infer after photographic inspection that he must have indeed been a bouncing baby boy.
While we began the day doubting whether we could have topped yesterday’s humpback acrobatics, this was indeed a day full of unique activity. With calm waters and clear skies to boot, this turned out to be a day to remember.
