Isla Magdalena
This morning the Sea Lion lay at anchor just off of Punta Belcher located on Isla Magdalena. Sunrise could be seen to the southeast; the bright reddish-orange orb of the sun was making it's way just over the mountains of Isla Margarita. Fog banks decorated the Baja peninsula mainland and seemed to encircle the far reaches of Bahia Magdalena, only adding to the impression of a very large body of water. During the evening the Sea Lion had positioned herself to the southern reaches of Bahia Magdalena. Plans for the morning included our last opportunity to view California Gray whales by Zodiac. Conditions were excellent! Calm seas, the warmth of the sun, and great visibility. The usual announcements were made by our expedition leader concerning our morning rides amongst the Gray whales. We were asked to adjourn to the two hundred aft section of the ship and get ready to enter the same inflatable crafts we had spent the last two days traveling about in, while exploring the northern waters of Bahia Magdalena.
Soon four fully loaded Zodiacs were away and heading towards the early light of the day where we could see the backlit heart shaped blows of many adult Gray whales. They appeared to be enjoying a relaxed morning of milling about with each other!!!! After about fifteen minutes of positioning by Zodiac drivers, we were among Gray whales. The air had remained quite still, and we continued to hear and see large blows as approximately fourteen animals traveled in a very relaxed fashion through out La Entrada or the entrance to Bahia Magdalena.
Each Zodiac found a group of whales and remained nearby, waiting for the customary exhale and intake of breath, by whales, or surfacing to occur. Thus presenting the Zodiacs with an opportunity to get a closer look at adult Gray whales socializing. We were in an area of Bahia Magdalena called the "Singles Bar" as was communicated by our Natural History staff. There could be chances to see groups of adult Gray whales cavorting and engaging in social behaviors prior to mating.
As the Zodiacs moved about La Entrada, a group of four whales were spotted in the distance. Radios became active as all the naturalists noticed the unusually large size of at least one of these whales. It appeared that this particular Gray whale could be at least fifty feet in length and did possess a very large fluke! For the next forty minutes, three of the Zodiacs took turns moving around these four animals hoping for closer looks at a very large California Gray whale. Hoping to watch the waterfall of sea water cascade over the fluke, as the whale dove repeatedly into the sea.
All too soon we were called back to the Sea Lion. Thoughts of the last two days of whale watching moving through our imaginations……the differences, the comparisons, the extraordinary fullness of our observations of this unusual cetacean who makes the longest migration of any mammal on earth. These whales come each winter to the lagoons off of the west coast of the Baja peninsula to mate, and give birth to next years Gray whales. We continued to fill the memories of these sentient beings, the California Gray whale, with the peacefulness of our presence….we are here to observe, to enjoy the pleasure of moving about in their watery world, albeit, viewing from the surface of the water, always wondering what is going on just out of our range of vision, below the surface of the sea. The remainder of our day was given to sand dune walks, along with exploration of dune plants, shell middens and the tracks of a myriad of small and large animals that make a living in the sand dunes! At the end of our walk, we made our way over the largest set dunes that sit just in front of the Pacific Ocean. Here, we explored a fabulous display of Sand dollars, skeletal parts of many marine animals, a huge wash of bi-valves in the surf, and for those daring ones a quick run into the sea for body surfing! Soon we all made our way back across the sand dune field to the waiting Sea Lion. Preparations were being made to begin the passage out of Bahia Magdalena heading south for Cabo San Lucas. At approximately 5:45PM the Sea Lion made a left turn keeping Isla Margarita off her Port side, heading in a southerly direction. As sunset approached, Common dolphins approached the ship and began to bow ride! The sun dipped towards the edge of the Pacific and as a final gift to an extraordinary day, we were presented with the brilliant emerald green of a green flash!!!!
This morning the Sea Lion lay at anchor just off of Punta Belcher located on Isla Magdalena. Sunrise could be seen to the southeast; the bright reddish-orange orb of the sun was making it's way just over the mountains of Isla Margarita. Fog banks decorated the Baja peninsula mainland and seemed to encircle the far reaches of Bahia Magdalena, only adding to the impression of a very large body of water. During the evening the Sea Lion had positioned herself to the southern reaches of Bahia Magdalena. Plans for the morning included our last opportunity to view California Gray whales by Zodiac. Conditions were excellent! Calm seas, the warmth of the sun, and great visibility. The usual announcements were made by our expedition leader concerning our morning rides amongst the Gray whales. We were asked to adjourn to the two hundred aft section of the ship and get ready to enter the same inflatable crafts we had spent the last two days traveling about in, while exploring the northern waters of Bahia Magdalena.
Soon four fully loaded Zodiacs were away and heading towards the early light of the day where we could see the backlit heart shaped blows of many adult Gray whales. They appeared to be enjoying a relaxed morning of milling about with each other!!!! After about fifteen minutes of positioning by Zodiac drivers, we were among Gray whales. The air had remained quite still, and we continued to hear and see large blows as approximately fourteen animals traveled in a very relaxed fashion through out La Entrada or the entrance to Bahia Magdalena.
Each Zodiac found a group of whales and remained nearby, waiting for the customary exhale and intake of breath, by whales, or surfacing to occur. Thus presenting the Zodiacs with an opportunity to get a closer look at adult Gray whales socializing. We were in an area of Bahia Magdalena called the "Singles Bar" as was communicated by our Natural History staff. There could be chances to see groups of adult Gray whales cavorting and engaging in social behaviors prior to mating.
As the Zodiacs moved about La Entrada, a group of four whales were spotted in the distance. Radios became active as all the naturalists noticed the unusually large size of at least one of these whales. It appeared that this particular Gray whale could be at least fifty feet in length and did possess a very large fluke! For the next forty minutes, three of the Zodiacs took turns moving around these four animals hoping for closer looks at a very large California Gray whale. Hoping to watch the waterfall of sea water cascade over the fluke, as the whale dove repeatedly into the sea.
All too soon we were called back to the Sea Lion. Thoughts of the last two days of whale watching moving through our imaginations……the differences, the comparisons, the extraordinary fullness of our observations of this unusual cetacean who makes the longest migration of any mammal on earth. These whales come each winter to the lagoons off of the west coast of the Baja peninsula to mate, and give birth to next years Gray whales. We continued to fill the memories of these sentient beings, the California Gray whale, with the peacefulness of our presence….we are here to observe, to enjoy the pleasure of moving about in their watery world, albeit, viewing from the surface of the water, always wondering what is going on just out of our range of vision, below the surface of the sea. The remainder of our day was given to sand dune walks, along with exploration of dune plants, shell middens and the tracks of a myriad of small and large animals that make a living in the sand dunes! At the end of our walk, we made our way over the largest set dunes that sit just in front of the Pacific Ocean. Here, we explored a fabulous display of Sand dollars, skeletal parts of many marine animals, a huge wash of bi-valves in the surf, and for those daring ones a quick run into the sea for body surfing! Soon we all made our way back across the sand dune field to the waiting Sea Lion. Preparations were being made to begin the passage out of Bahia Magdalena heading south for Cabo San Lucas. At approximately 5:45PM the Sea Lion made a left turn keeping Isla Margarita off her Port side, heading in a southerly direction. As sunset approached, Common dolphins approached the ship and began to bow ride! The sun dipped towards the edge of the Pacific and as a final gift to an extraordinary day, we were presented with the brilliant emerald green of a green flash!!!!
