Cabo San Lucas
During the night we crossed the 22o latitude line, headed south, and officially entered the tropics. Even before breakfast, the call came from the bow: a new whale species was sighted, this time humpbacks. Ignoring the rumblings in our stomachs, we raced to the bow in time to view a mother and her calf, not far from the ship. The two were playing and foraging. Perhaps the mother was teaching her calf valuable survival skills. In any event, there was no mistaking those characteristic long pectoral fins and the markings on the flukes. These animals were certainly humpbacks, our intended quarry for the day. The whales were ahead of schedule. We were not even close to Gorda Banks, the spot where these whales were anticipated. Certainly no one was complaining, as gasps and excited cries rose from the onlookers in the following half hour. As we ate breakfast, the ship continued its track to Gorda Banks but again the engines slowed and we excitedly rushed to the bow. This time there were two individuals, roughly the same size. The two "large winged New Englanders," as the Latin of the species name translates, took turns showing us their flukes, repetitively making shallow dives that lasted approximately six minutes.
While waiting for more humpbacks to be spotted, those of us peering into the depths of the ocean were startled by the plethora of organisms floating by. The water was truly alive. A short plankton tow revealed the identity of some of these creatures: ctenophores (or comb jellies), flatworms, copepods, larvaceans and many others. An especially rare find were strands of pulsating siphonophores. These colonial animals, close relatives of the infamous Portuguese Man O' War, are more common in warmer waters. Their transparency and fragile nature have kept their existence secret from many people, although the fish and whales are well aware of their dietary potential. With the help of the dissecting microscope, we could see the pulsating swimming bells and the writhing feeding and reproductive individuals, all working together, sharing food and neurological signals. However, the site of still another group of humpbacks soon returned our attention from the small spineless wonders to the main stage attraction of the giant vertebrates.
As a break from the breaching humpbacks, we listened to a lecture on marine mammals, with an emphasis on the cetaceans (the toothed and baleen whales). Mysteries such as buoyancy in the sperm whales, the identity of the smallest cetacean in the world, and the size of a sea lion harem were explained. Returning to the bow to await close views of Land's End and the Arch of Friar's Rocks on the way into Cabo San Lucas, all conversation was halted as once again humpbacks were spotted. This time the animals were less than a hundred feet off the bow. Docking in Cabo, we disembarked, some of us headed for snorkeling at Chileanos and others in search of traditional crafts in the many stores. Snorkelers enjoyed the warm sand, soothing water and sights of many species of wrasses, parrotfishes, coral, and damselfish. The shoppers marveled at beautiful silver jewelry and elegant furniture and carvings hewn by indigenous artisans. Reboarding the ship, we learned about the local history of the Baja peninsula, chilis, and viewed underwater video from our previous snorkeling adventures. As a gorgeous saffron-yellow full moon rose, we cast off and sailed from Cabo, out into the open Pacific ocean in search of gray whale calving areas.
During the night we crossed the 22o latitude line, headed south, and officially entered the tropics. Even before breakfast, the call came from the bow: a new whale species was sighted, this time humpbacks. Ignoring the rumblings in our stomachs, we raced to the bow in time to view a mother and her calf, not far from the ship. The two were playing and foraging. Perhaps the mother was teaching her calf valuable survival skills. In any event, there was no mistaking those characteristic long pectoral fins and the markings on the flukes. These animals were certainly humpbacks, our intended quarry for the day. The whales were ahead of schedule. We were not even close to Gorda Banks, the spot where these whales were anticipated. Certainly no one was complaining, as gasps and excited cries rose from the onlookers in the following half hour. As we ate breakfast, the ship continued its track to Gorda Banks but again the engines slowed and we excitedly rushed to the bow. This time there were two individuals, roughly the same size. The two "large winged New Englanders," as the Latin of the species name translates, took turns showing us their flukes, repetitively making shallow dives that lasted approximately six minutes.
While waiting for more humpbacks to be spotted, those of us peering into the depths of the ocean were startled by the plethora of organisms floating by. The water was truly alive. A short plankton tow revealed the identity of some of these creatures: ctenophores (or comb jellies), flatworms, copepods, larvaceans and many others. An especially rare find were strands of pulsating siphonophores. These colonial animals, close relatives of the infamous Portuguese Man O' War, are more common in warmer waters. Their transparency and fragile nature have kept their existence secret from many people, although the fish and whales are well aware of their dietary potential. With the help of the dissecting microscope, we could see the pulsating swimming bells and the writhing feeding and reproductive individuals, all working together, sharing food and neurological signals. However, the site of still another group of humpbacks soon returned our attention from the small spineless wonders to the main stage attraction of the giant vertebrates.
As a break from the breaching humpbacks, we listened to a lecture on marine mammals, with an emphasis on the cetaceans (the toothed and baleen whales). Mysteries such as buoyancy in the sperm whales, the identity of the smallest cetacean in the world, and the size of a sea lion harem were explained. Returning to the bow to await close views of Land's End and the Arch of Friar's Rocks on the way into Cabo San Lucas, all conversation was halted as once again humpbacks were spotted. This time the animals were less than a hundred feet off the bow. Docking in Cabo, we disembarked, some of us headed for snorkeling at Chileanos and others in search of traditional crafts in the many stores. Snorkelers enjoyed the warm sand, soothing water and sights of many species of wrasses, parrotfishes, coral, and damselfish. The shoppers marveled at beautiful silver jewelry and elegant furniture and carvings hewn by indigenous artisans. Reboarding the ship, we learned about the local history of the Baja peninsula, chilis, and viewed underwater video from our previous snorkeling adventures. As a gorgeous saffron-yellow full moon rose, we cast off and sailed from Cabo, out into the open Pacific ocean in search of gray whale calving areas.
