We steamed south in the Hull Canal today, returning to Magdalena Bay. Along the way, we spotted the following: a gray whale cow and calf, dolphins riding our bow wake, coyotes on shore and various birds in the mangroves and mudflats. In the afternoon, we made our final landing on one of the narrowest parts of the peninsula, a small isthmus. With a short walk across the sand dunes, we arrived at the Pacific Ocean. We spent time on Sand Dollar Beach, which takes its name from the immense amount of sand dollars along the shore.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 27 Jan 2022
Hull Canal and Sand Dollar Beach, 1/27/2022, National Geographic Sea Bird
- Aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird
- Baja California
John Pachuta, Naturalist
John’s passion is lifelong learning and sharing what he learns about the natural world with explorers young and old. He grew up in rural Ohio and graduated from Marietta College with a BA in Recreation Management. Wanderlust hit when John decided t...
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Baja California: Among the Great Whales
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3/21/2025
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National Geographic Venture
Canal de Cerralvo / La Paz
We awoke navigating on the Cerralvo Canal, between Cerralvo Island and the peninsula, searching for wildlife. We were not disappointed, as two different pods of common dolphins came to visit and bow ride with us for a long time. After lunch, we anchored at Pichilingue Port and disembarked the vessel to visit the capital city of Baja California Sur, La Paz, where we had the chance to interact with the locals in some of the most popular places, like La Fuente, a traditional ice cream parlor, and the Jardin Velasco in downtown. Then guests enjoyed a fiesta, dinner, and returned on board National Geographic Venture .
3/20/2025
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National Geographic Venture
Magdalena Bay
Today we woke with the shining stars and took Zodiacs ashore to meet our coaches for a trip to Chale, a small town on the shores of Magdalena Bay. The goal was to find some wintering gray whales, magnificent leviathans which frequent this coast to give birth before the long migration back to their Arctic feeding grounds. These whales did not disappoint! Spyhopping, breaching, and even a bit of tail flukes. As a result, there were lots of smiles and laughter all around! We returned to the town for lunch and then headed back out on the local boats for a second round. As we returned to the ship, the sun set over La Paz, with glassy waters of gold in the harbor, and pink clouds above. The constellations of Orion, Taurus, and the Pleiades shone over our Zodiacs on our way back to dinner aboard National Geographic Venture .