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Daily Journal

The Great Baja Adventure

Day 2

Bob gives a naturalist talk on the geology of the area.

The sea was a bit rough when we started out but by
the time we arrived at our destination it had subsided.

A Pelican flies overhead as we anchor.

Anchored in the bay was a shrimp trawler that had just come in.

Our Captain knew the Captain of the trawler so
we went over for a visit and if we were lucky maybe some shrimp.

Once onboard the Captain gave us a tour of his ship.

The trawler crew joins us for a group picture.

But sadly the boat had just arrived and they
were preparing to start fishing that very night.
Maybe tomorrow...

After lunch we head out for a nature hike on the island.

First stop, salt pans mined by the local fishermen.

Quick hike to Cactus Alley where we give
a naturalist talk on the different types of cactus.

I'm not sure what they were sneaking up on.

Across the island to a rocky
shore for a low tide exploration.

We find a Brittle Star, Zebra worm and a Slate Pencil sea urchin.

One of the many beach treasures.
A dry, puffed up Guinea Fowl Puffer.

Handling the Brittle Star.

Cathy and Liam collect beach treasures to include agates.

The guys look on.

While awaiting the pangas to pick us up
the group finds the remains of a Humboldt Squid.

Calamari sushi style.

It doesn't get any better than this.

Unless you encounter the largest mammal on earth.

A Blue whale.

For 20 minutes or so we watched the whale feeding.

When it had enough, it fluked goodbye.

Brad and Bonnie whale watching.

The sun sets on a great day at sea.

After a windy afternoon and evening on day 1, day 2 brought calmer seas. We made an early start for our next island destination. After a bit of a bumpy ride, we arrived at a beautiful, tranquil bay, where we would spend most of the day. Since most everyone spent time on the "sea sick deck" we didn't eat much of anything. It was time for brunch.

While anchored in the bay, a shrimp trawler pulled in and dropped it's anchor Our Captain knew the crew so we dropped our plans to go to the island in exchange for a chance to check out the trawler. The Captain gladly invited us over to tour his majestic ship. Unfortunately they had just arrived at their shrimping grounds that morning but promised they would give us some of their catch tomorrow.

So, off to the beach we went. We climbed the burm to explore the salt pans, the abundant species of cactus and, of course, to hit the low tide for an exciting tide pooling session. After a bit of a stroll on the beach and throwing a few rocks into the water, it was time to head back to meet the pangas; our rumbling stomachs were telling us it was lunch time.

After lunch it was time to go and find the whales, which was an extremely easy task that day. It seemed that everywhere we looked we saw whales. At one point, we didn't know which way to go because we could see blows all around us. We decided to stick with the pair of blue whales that were closest to us and boy did they give us a show. We watched them feed on the surface for several minutes before one of them made a final dive, showing her fluke as she left as if she was waving goodbye.

What an exhilarating time we had. It is one thing to go out and look for whales, it is an entirely different thing to not know which whales to watch. I know I was exhausted and ready for a cold "apple juice" as the sun slipped down beneath the mountains ending another amazing day on the Sea of Cortez.

Stasia the naturalist

Day 1 - on the water | Day 2 | Day 3(1) | Day 3(2) | Day 4(1) | Day 4(2) | Day 5

A Day with the Gray Whales of Magdalena Bay | Baja Gifts Program

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