La Entrada and Magdalena Bay
This morning began when the sun’s rays filtered glowingly through the low-lying clouds rewarding onlookers with a parade of reds, pinks and purples. As we approached within ten miles of La Entrada (the entrance to Magdalena Bay), the blows of several whales were sighted off the bow of the ship. We were expecting gray whales, and were pleasantly surprised to identify them as humpbacks, a species we don’t frequently encounter in this location. The next few hours were filled with their explosive exhalations, and some exhilarating close encounters with these magnificent animals as the Sea Lion drifted in neutral. On a whim, we dropped our underwater microphone (or hydrophone) into the water and were rewarded with faint but diverse humpback vocalizations, ranging from echoing trombone-like sounds to haunting moans. Eventually, we moved on and passed into the calm waters of Magdalena Bay, spotting several groups of gray whales as we went. Carol wrapped up our morning with a review of the A-Zs of gray whale biology.
After lunch, we boarded Zodiacs and disembarked onto Isla Magdalena. Our goal: to relax and explore the sandy dunes and beaches of this magnificent island. Moving west across the dunes, we emerged onto ‘Sand Dollar Beach,’ our nickname for a gently sloped, seemingly endless (8 mile long) beach of soft sand and rolling Pacific waves. Not a cloud marred the perfect blue of the sky, and avid beachcombers encountered sand dollars, Venus clams, the skulls of a bottlenose and common dolphin, a sea turtle carapace, and infinite numbers of other shells and bones. Naturalist William Lopez-Forment and others rapidly filled two garbage bags with bottles, plastic and other human detritus for removal from the beach. As the sun prepared to set over the Pacific Ocean, and the shadows lengthened over the dunes, the last stragglers of the group arrived back on board for recap and dinner.
After a sumptuous meal, most guests stayed aboard to listen to Underwater Specialist Bill present and discuss the results of the afternoon’s plankton tow, while a few stalwart beach-lovers returned to shore to ponder the stars next to a glowing fire. Eventually, the moon rose and the last of us drifted off to sleep.
This morning began when the sun’s rays filtered glowingly through the low-lying clouds rewarding onlookers with a parade of reds, pinks and purples. As we approached within ten miles of La Entrada (the entrance to Magdalena Bay), the blows of several whales were sighted off the bow of the ship. We were expecting gray whales, and were pleasantly surprised to identify them as humpbacks, a species we don’t frequently encounter in this location. The next few hours were filled with their explosive exhalations, and some exhilarating close encounters with these magnificent animals as the Sea Lion drifted in neutral. On a whim, we dropped our underwater microphone (or hydrophone) into the water and were rewarded with faint but diverse humpback vocalizations, ranging from echoing trombone-like sounds to haunting moans. Eventually, we moved on and passed into the calm waters of Magdalena Bay, spotting several groups of gray whales as we went. Carol wrapped up our morning with a review of the A-Zs of gray whale biology.
After lunch, we boarded Zodiacs and disembarked onto Isla Magdalena. Our goal: to relax and explore the sandy dunes and beaches of this magnificent island. Moving west across the dunes, we emerged onto ‘Sand Dollar Beach,’ our nickname for a gently sloped, seemingly endless (8 mile long) beach of soft sand and rolling Pacific waves. Not a cloud marred the perfect blue of the sky, and avid beachcombers encountered sand dollars, Venus clams, the skulls of a bottlenose and common dolphin, a sea turtle carapace, and infinite numbers of other shells and bones. Naturalist William Lopez-Forment and others rapidly filled two garbage bags with bottles, plastic and other human detritus for removal from the beach. As the sun prepared to set over the Pacific Ocean, and the shadows lengthened over the dunes, the last stragglers of the group arrived back on board for recap and dinner.
After a sumptuous meal, most guests stayed aboard to listen to Underwater Specialist Bill present and discuss the results of the afternoon’s plankton tow, while a few stalwart beach-lovers returned to shore to ponder the stars next to a glowing fire. Eventually, the moon rose and the last of us drifted off to sleep.
