We awoke to a little rocking as we cruised along the southern Pacific coast toward Magdalena Bay. Along the way, we enjoyed presentations by our naturalists: Shannon Malone spoke on ecological management in Baja California, and Jeff Campbell talked about the unique ecology of the gray whale. After lunch, we explored a wonderful part of Magdalena Island. This exotic terrain has a sandbar that is about a quarter-mile wide covered in ever-shifting sand dunes. On the Pacific side of the sandbar is a beautiful beach covered in sand dollars. Afterward, we were treated to the lovely tunes played by musical group Los Cayotes. What a beautiful and relaxing day we had.
2/19/2025
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National Geographic Venture
Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park
This morning, we awoke at Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, a protected natural area established in 1995. Some guests hopped in pangas to snorkel the northernmost coral reef in the Americas, observing balloon fish, Moorish idols, damselfish, rays, and more! Others opted for a drier morning to search for whales. Cabo Pulmo is often a place where humpback whale moms birth their calves and a safe place to raise them in their early weeks of life. We were lucky to see mom and calf pairs breaching. However, the real surprise was the huge number of gray whales congregating off Cabo Pulmo. Many adult whales even approached the panga boats within arm’s reach! This was a record-breaking number for National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, not only to see so many gray whales, but especially their friendliness. Even the local panga drivers were in shock at the numbers and behavior! National Geographic Venture was buzzing for the rest of the day after such a special and eventful morning.
