The day we’ve been waiting for was finally here. There was a stiff breeze in the morning, but it calmed by afternoon and became quite pleasant. The surrounding waterways, which stretched more than 30 miles on each side of our anchorage, are the perfect place for gray whale calves to be born and acclimatize to wind and waves before swimming north to feeding grounds. All of our guests had two outings today to explore and look for mothers and calves. Those not in boats wandered in the dunes and some made it all the way to the Pacific.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 15 Mar 2018
Títeres near Boca de Soledad, Magdalena Bay, 3/15/2018, National Geographic Sea Bird
- Aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird
- Baja California
Pete Pederson, Naturalist
Pete Pederson has always been attracted to the out-of-doors and is fascinated by the diversity of life and how natural systems function. He studied zoology and completed his Master of Science degree in wildlife management at Humboldt State University...
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Baja California: Among the Great Whales
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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 .
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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 .