Our second day aboard National Geographic Sea Bird started with a lovely sunrise and a stretch class with wellness specialist Ava. It was a little chillier than expected on the bow, so guests and staff grabbed an extra layer to prepare for the day. Our first adventure was the chance to kayak through the mangroves at El Barril. Little blue herons and great blue herons were spotted hiding among the roots in the red and black mangroves. After kayaking, guests had the chance to explore even more on a Zodiac, and we took advantage of the high tide. To get to our next destination, we cruised through the shallow canal of Boca de Soledad. The afternoon’s activities consisted of walking along the sand dunes of Boca de Soledad. Some of the Global Explorers learned how to make plaster to cast the footprints of a great blue heron. After a fun-filled day, the evening ended with live music from Los Coyotes.
2/25/2023
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Bahia Almejas, Baja California
As the sun rose, the hills of Isla Santa Margarita lit up to wake us to our first day in Bahia Magdalena. We had lots of firsts today, as we got to meet our panga drivers and head out to explore the area. Today’s focus was Bahia Almejas, the social center of gray whale hangouts at this time of year. And the whales certainly didn’t disappoint. We had lots of encounters with ‘friendly whales’ coming right up to the pangas and allowing us to touch them. As if that wasn’t enough, there was all sorts of activity like whales breaching, spyhopping, and even some mating! Naturally, one of the highlights was getting whale snot blown all over us! We split into two groups for whale watching. The group that wasn’t on the pangas learned how to improve photographic composition using iPhones from Gemina Garland-Lewis, certified photo instructor for the trip. We went out for a couple hours in the morning and afternoon, passing a spit covered in double-crested cormorants and brown pelicans each time. On the way back to National Geographic Sea Bird , we had a treat and saw a lone bald eagle that had clearly been hunting amongst the cormorants. The day wasn’t quite done. After a delicious dinner that included the popular chocolate decadence, Kylee Walterman educated us with a presentation on gray whales. Everyone had the opportunity to touch whale lice if they so wished!