Gorda Banks
Sunrise colors and common dolphins played across the water as our day began. Gentle splashes and constant activity danced with golden light as we cruised north toward Gorda Banks. We had the whole day to explore in these famed humpback whale waters and we began seeing blows in the distance just as soon as it was light. One whale breathed and dived in our vicinity and we stayed with it, hearing it blow and watching it glide through the water. Just before breakfast we came across a half dozen mobula rays repeatedly jumping out of the water in an exuberant ray fiesta.
As we sat down to eat, a humpback breached just off the port side (top photo). With loud shouts we crowded to the windows in time to see it repeat its performance. That made for a pretty short breakfast and before long we were all out on deck again. We soon came across a cow and calf pair that leisurely surfaced and we matched their pace, all the time keeping one eye out on the many blows surrounding us. We joined another cow and calf pair for a time and then turned toward a group of several animals.
Four humpbacks traveled together in a competitive pod where presumably, three males vied for mating rights to an available female. Most of their battling took place beneath the surface between breaths and then they would rise up into view to breathe. Captain Jeff Kalbach, who has long researched humpbacks in Hawaii, came up to join us on the bow and interpret for us the activity that the whales were engaged in. Humpback mating behavior is still quite mysterious to researchers but the notable competitiveness of the males is understood to be a regular part of their mating habits.
Throughout the day we saw several of these groups and made effort to stay with them in their somewhat unpredictable movements. During mid-afternoon, we went down to the lounge to hear about the geology of Baja and the Gulf of California from Stewart Aitchison. He gave us a good review of geology and then applied the principles to the amazing waters we were traveling in. Thousands of feet beneath us, the sea floor is spreading and magma is rising to continue to spread the Baja peninsula away from the Mexican mainland. This cavernous underwater environment also gathers all of the nutrients that drift down from the surface and the upwelling of these deep and rich waters is the beginning of the food chain that produces the Gulf’s extraordinary marine life.
With perfect timing, we came across another group of whales just as Stewart was finishing his talk in yet another demonstration of the magical power of geology lectures to bring on whales. We soon found ourselves out on the bow again, watching several whales exhaling sprays of bright rainbow colors with each breath.
As the sun neared the horizon, we debated whether to stay with this photogenic group but a breach nearby made the decision and we turned to investigate. The sun was sinking over the jagged skyline of the peninsula as we neared yet another competitive pod. This group surfaced frequently and we began to see some of their competitive behavior displayed at the surface. Two of the group appeared to butt heads and there was lunging and thrashing and slapping of pectoral fins. And all in the magical reflective colors of a spectacular sunset.
Finally, the whales seemed to calm and we watched them breathe and dive as the sky turned bright pink and salmon. Their tail flukes dripped droplets of sparkling color as they smoothly finished our eleven and a half hour whale-watching extravaganza.
Sunrise colors and common dolphins played across the water as our day began. Gentle splashes and constant activity danced with golden light as we cruised north toward Gorda Banks. We had the whole day to explore in these famed humpback whale waters and we began seeing blows in the distance just as soon as it was light. One whale breathed and dived in our vicinity and we stayed with it, hearing it blow and watching it glide through the water. Just before breakfast we came across a half dozen mobula rays repeatedly jumping out of the water in an exuberant ray fiesta.
As we sat down to eat, a humpback breached just off the port side (top photo). With loud shouts we crowded to the windows in time to see it repeat its performance. That made for a pretty short breakfast and before long we were all out on deck again. We soon came across a cow and calf pair that leisurely surfaced and we matched their pace, all the time keeping one eye out on the many blows surrounding us. We joined another cow and calf pair for a time and then turned toward a group of several animals.
Four humpbacks traveled together in a competitive pod where presumably, three males vied for mating rights to an available female. Most of their battling took place beneath the surface between breaths and then they would rise up into view to breathe. Captain Jeff Kalbach, who has long researched humpbacks in Hawaii, came up to join us on the bow and interpret for us the activity that the whales were engaged in. Humpback mating behavior is still quite mysterious to researchers but the notable competitiveness of the males is understood to be a regular part of their mating habits.
Throughout the day we saw several of these groups and made effort to stay with them in their somewhat unpredictable movements. During mid-afternoon, we went down to the lounge to hear about the geology of Baja and the Gulf of California from Stewart Aitchison. He gave us a good review of geology and then applied the principles to the amazing waters we were traveling in. Thousands of feet beneath us, the sea floor is spreading and magma is rising to continue to spread the Baja peninsula away from the Mexican mainland. This cavernous underwater environment also gathers all of the nutrients that drift down from the surface and the upwelling of these deep and rich waters is the beginning of the food chain that produces the Gulf’s extraordinary marine life.
With perfect timing, we came across another group of whales just as Stewart was finishing his talk in yet another demonstration of the magical power of geology lectures to bring on whales. We soon found ourselves out on the bow again, watching several whales exhaling sprays of bright rainbow colors with each breath.
As the sun neared the horizon, we debated whether to stay with this photogenic group but a breach nearby made the decision and we turned to investigate. The sun was sinking over the jagged skyline of the peninsula as we neared yet another competitive pod. This group surfaced frequently and we began to see some of their competitive behavior displayed at the surface. Two of the group appeared to butt heads and there was lunging and thrashing and slapping of pectoral fins. And all in the magical reflective colors of a spectacular sunset.
Finally, the whales seemed to calm and we watched them breathe and dive as the sky turned bright pink and salmon. Their tail flukes dripped droplets of sparkling color as they smoothly finished our eleven and a half hour whale-watching extravaganza.
