After a fine night of cruising south from Magdalena Bay we awoke just north of Cabo Falso, with humpbacks in the distance, and a phalanx of frigatebirds drafting the currents above the wheelhouse. As we approached the Arches at Lands End, just west of Cabo San Lucas, the sun was beginning to poke out from behind morning clouds that completely dissipated by the time we disembarked at San Juan del Cabo. A fine morning of touring San Juan and looking for birds at the mouth of the Rio de San Juan was nearly forgotten as we were privileged to witness one of the finest displays of humpback breaching out on Gorda Bank! The whales were good enough to take a rest just in time for us to maintain out scheduled departure, so we could make our date with the day at Punta Colorado in the morning.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 14 Feb 2018
San Jose del Cabo, 2/14/2018, National Geographic Sea Lion
- Aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion
- Baja California
Jeff Campbell, Naturalist
Jeff Campbell fell in love with the ocean while attending boatbuilding school in Eastport, Maine. Since completing his MS in Marine and Estuarine Science at Western Washington University, he has worked for NOAA documenting the ecological impacts of t...
Read MoreJames Biscardi, Videographer
James Biscardi is a young, ambitious professional photographer and videographer. He is always on the lookout for the next big adventure and “telling the story” through film.
Read MoreShare Report
Baja California: Among the Great Whales
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
3/21/2025
Read
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
Read
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 .