Feb 02 2010

Among The Great Whales, Baja California

This trip was a comparatively brief 8-day journey which required only about a 2-hour flight to Baja California.  We flew to La Paz and then were bused across the peninsula to San Carlos where we boarded the Lindblad National Geographic Sea Bird.  We spent a couple of days in Bahia Magdalena communing with the Grey Whales, then rounded Cabo San Lucas and spent the rest of the trip in the Sea of Cortez.  Seven family members comprised our group, four Fergusons, Nathan Wendel, and the two of us.

Our cabin, 219, was one of the 6 larger cabins on the ship, although it seemed pretty small.  Since it was on the end of the row of cabins on the Observation Deck, it had two, large windows, one on the port side and one on the stern end.  Its comfortable bed could be made up as either two singles or a queen-sized double.  There were two large bin-type drawers under the bed plus room to stash luggage.  A closet had room to hang plus several shelves.  The bathroom is the smallest I’ve ever experienced and contains the toilet and shower.  Fortunately, the sink and mirror are in the main room. Steep stairs in the center of the ship provide access to the Bridge Deck and the Main Deck. The bar, lounge, and dining room are on the Main Deck. Meals are generally buffet-style for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is usually served.

1/17.  Isla Magdalena and Hull Canal.

After all passengers boarded, the ship moved across Bahia Santa Maria and anchored next to Isla Magdalena for the night. Expedition leader Jen Martin's gentle 7 am wake-up call Sunday morning was followed at 7:30 by a buffet breakfast in the open-seating dining room.  Fortunately there was a table large enough to handle our group of seven. Zodiac transfers to shore began at 8:30 with several levels of activity offered.  There were fast, moderate, and leisurely-paced hikes or one could just mess around on the beach.  All the hikes crossed the narrow island to Sand Dollar Beach where beach-combing, swimming, and boogie boarding was available.  (Swimming is prohibited in Bahia Santa Maria since it is a whale sanctuary however Sand Dollar Beach is on the Pacific side so swimming is OK.)

The island was covered with sugar-like sand that has drifted into beautiful, crescent shaped barchan dunes.  A late summer hurricane encouraged some of the vegetation to bloom.  Sand verbena, sea purslane, wild tomatillo, and loco weed were scattered about upon the sand.  Numerous shell middens gave evidence of early inhabitants and were more numerous closer to the Pacific side.  The dominant shells seemed to differ from midden to midden.  The sand was marked everywhere by the tracks of insects and animals. Sand Dollar Beach seemed to be paved with large sand dollars.  There were also other kinds of shells, bones from sea mammals and birds, and plastic debris from the fishing fleet. After lunch aboard the ship we cruised up the Hull Canal which was lined with mangroves.  The bird watchers on board had a field day.  We were also entertained by the occasional encounter with bow-riding bottlenose dolphins. We passed the town of Puerto Adolpho Lopez Mateos and anchored for the night near Boca de Soledad.

 
1/18.  Bahia Magdalena

Our entire family group was out on one of the first zodiacs along with National Geographic photographer Flip Nicklin and videographer Nancy Sanders.  The driver of the zodiac was naturalist Linda Burback. There was also a local pangero who had the government permit required for whale watching.  We were all watching for the tell-tale spout and were eventually rewarded by an encounter with three adult California gray whales.  There were also bottlenose dolphins.

At the end of our allotted two hours we returned to the ship and were replaced by the second group. The groups were divided by odd and even cabin numbers. While they were out we enjoyed a lecture on the making of tequila and mescal presented by naturalist William Lopez-Forment. After lunch we went out for another two hours, this time finding a female gray whale and her very young baby. When our turn was over we could visit another area off shore on Isla Magdalena. That evening before a Mexican dinner we were entertained by Los Coyotes de Magdalena, a group of three spirited local musicians.

 
1/19.  Bahia Magdalena

Lured by the promise beautiful morning light, four of our group set off at 7 am for an early morning search for whales.  What we found was the entire area shrouded by a dense fog. We hoped to locate the whales by the sound of their breathing since the spout would be invisible.  We didn't.  The fog cleared in time for the second group.  The remaining three in our group saw a whale in very choppy water plus a close look at the mangrove thicket with its bird life. Lunch was a cookout on the stern featuring hamburgers and hot dogs, and complementary beer and wine.

The ship turned south back down the Hull Canal and the exit of Bahia Magdalena at La Entrada after the second group returned. We did encounter one gray breaching within the bay however the rules did not allow us to pause and watch.  However, after exiting the bay at La Entrada we found three grays leisurely moving around, and since we were outside of the bay we could watch to our heart's content. As a final treat for the day we encountered a single humpback whale that seemed intent on beating the ocean into submission, flailing away at it with its flippers and tail.

1/20.  San José del Cabo

We spent a day in the Tropics!  Sometime the night before, we crossed the Tropic of Cancer and remained below it for at least 24 hours.  This day was a return to “civilization.”  We rounded Finisterra (Land's End) before Sunrise and then stuck our nose into the harbor of Cabo San Lucas just to view the famous arch.  There was a large Holland America cruise ship in port and another cruise line ship arriving so we were glad we weren’t landing there.  We also saw a Mexican drug smuggling interdiction boat leaving the harbor.  Then we headed on to the new harbor at San José del Cabo.  The purpose of this stop was to pick up water but it also allowed the passengers to visit the town.  The bird watchers visited the San José River, a small, permanent fresh water stream that flows from the nearby mountains.  This source of fresh water was the reason for the settlement in 1732.

Those who didn't search for birds went shopping at the town square.  This seemed to be a pleasant town with an area population of 250,000.  The new harbor and construction throughout the area suggest that it is intent on rivaling its neighbor, Cabo San Lucas. An interesting statistic on the development in Baja California Sur:  in 1960 there were 324 hotel rooms in this part of the peninsula; in 1997 there were 7829.  There is nonstop development along the shore between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo.

We returned to the ship at noon and began our visit to the Sea of Cortez.  Our progress toward the planned afternoon anchorage and water activities was impeded by continual encounters with humpback whales.  We found one group engaged in some sort of mating activity which involved much blowing of air and inflating of bodies.  We found another continually slapping the water with its fluke.  Finally we found a spectacularly breaching humpback. 

 
1/21.  Puerto Gato.

In our viewing of the great whales we have learned that people wearing polarizing sunglasses are able to see the creatures while they are still under the water - and I forgot the polarizing filter for my camera. Shortly after breakfast the ship anchored in the lee of a spectacular red sandstone cliff, at Punta Colorada.  This was our first snorkeling opportunity.  Although the fish weren't plentiful those that were present were beautiful.  In spite of the cold water there were some corals present.  The ship provides good quality snorkeling equipment and shortie wet suits if you need them.  Snorkelers are taken to an anchored zodiac where they leave their stuff and enter the water.  A large wooden ladder hanging over the side of the zodiac helps leaving the water. Hiking up an arroyo was also offered.  In addition to the usual desert plants, there were fossilized seashells from the Pliocene era.

Once all were back on board, the ship moved to Puerto Gato.  Although the ship was rolling quite a bit at anchor, the crew was able to set up a beach barbecue for the evening meal.  This included moving the 400 lb grill plus fuel tanks ashore.  There were also plentiful chairs.  The meal consisted of grilled chicken, fish, vegetables, salad, and complementary beer, wine, and soft drinks.  Scattered clouds impeded star gazing.

 
1/22.  Los Islotes & Isla Espiritu Santo

Los Islotes are a grouping of stark rocks rising from the water.  Sea birds favor them because of their lack of predators.  The presence of sea lions allowed snorkelers the opportunity of a rare encounter.  Zodiac cruises were also offered, allowing closer looks at the blue-footed and brown-footed boobies, brown pelicans, and yellow-footed gulls. In the afternoon we moved to Isla Espiritu Santo, one of Mexico's national parks.  For this final day of the voyage we could hike, snorkel, swim, and kayak.  Strangely shaped and eroded rock walls formed one wall of the bay.  This material was prehistoric volcanic ash compressed into rock.

 
1/23.  La Paz.

During the night the ship moved the short distance to La Paz.  When we awoke in the morning it was at the fuel dock. After fueling it moved to a wharf near downtown.  We left the ship and boarded buses for a brief town tour and a visit to a serpentarium.  We were dropped off downtown for a brief shopping opportunity before the included lunch at La Terrazza Restaurant in Hotel La Perla.  At noon we headed off to the airport.

It was a very good trip.  While Los Angeles was experiencing a week of almost constant rain we enjoyed mild day-time temperatures and bright sunny skies.  We also enjoyed a great visit to nature enhanced by the usual team of skilled Lindblad naturalists.