Bahia Almejas, 3/1/2020, National Geographic Venture
Aboard the
National Geographic Venture
Baja California
What a first day we had here in the Bay of Clams or Bahia Almejas. But clams were not our focus today – this trip is meant to be Among the Great Whales, not Among the Great Clams. So, we ventured out in local outboards called pangas and made our way into the lagoon finding a great number of gray whales involved in a great number of behaviors. In the afternoon we went out for hikes and walks on Isla Santa Margarita, an island the Mexican Navy described to us as being full of nothing but snakes and spiders, but there we found other things of interest, some alive, much of it dead and washed ashore.
California native and “phyco-semantic” Kayvon Malek discovered his love of oceans when taking a scuba course during his time at UC-Santa Cruz. Four years later he had assisted in teaching every level of scuba at the UCSC and was working as a research...
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This morning, National Geographic Venture docked at the interesting port, San Carlos. From the 1940s to the 1990s, the port was used for loading agricultural products and fertilizers from the nearby Santo Domingo Valley. Nowadays, San Carlos is basically a place for loading sardines from a local cannery. It is also an important tourist base for whale-watching, principally mating gray whales. At the port, all guests and staff boarded buses to Lopez Mateos, a town located near the northernmost tip of Magdalena Island. The buses traveled across Magdalena Plain, a section of the Sonoran Desert that receives a lot of moisture in the form of dense fog from the Pacific Ocean. Lichens and orchillas, a type of flowering plant, give the desert a phantasmagoric appearance. Guests and staff enjoyed spotting numerous birds, including crested caracaras and kestrels. Once in Lopez Mateos, we boarded local pangas for whale-watching. During two rounds of whale-watching, we encountered several whales close to our pangas. However, most of the whales were preoccupied with traveling, searching for mates, or just finishing their time of reproduction and thus exiting the lagoon. In reality, the whales were not interested in interacting with the boats and their excited cargo, but we had many opportunities to observe the behavior of these magnificent animals. In town, we all delighted in a delicious fish lunch, ‘pescado zarandeado.’ We enjoyed exploring the local dock with its many colorful shops and crafts, and we admired the wonderful sculpture of a cow-calf pair of gray whales.
Today we woke up sailing along the picturesque coastline of the Baja peninsula. We had high winds and so while the seas were spicy, spirits were high as we sailed over the ocean. Seeing the waves crashing against the bow is a remarkable sight, and the feeling of exploration was palpable. We had an incredible presentation by our undersea specialist, James Hyde, on the incredibly intricate and fragile topic of plankton. Filled with beautiful videos and a wealth of knowledge, we were moved by the importance of this biodiverse and beautiful part of the dance of the ocean. Closing his presentation, we toasted to an exciting day at sea with bloody marys. One of our bartenders, Derek, served them up in a beautiful style while we lounged and enjoyed the seas. These weeks are so jam-packed with activities that it was a true gift to enjoy some downtime. Our photography instructor, Shayne Sanders, was available in the lounge all day to help with photo transfers and to continue teaching us the tools we have been learning all week to improve our photography skills. This could not have come at a better time, as we were soon treated to a mega pod of common dolphins. To see the ocean alive with dolphins all around the vessel was an unforgettable experience. We all leaned over the bow and watched as dozens of dolphins squeaked and rode the ship’s pressure wave. All this before lunch! We then continued to the entrance of the mouth of Magdalena Bay. We began seeing the blows from gray whales as we entered the calm and protected waters. This was an incredible day that showcased the magic of the Baja coastline.
Today was all about sunrise, sunset, snorkeling and hiking in the morning, and an incredible humpback whale encounter in the afternoon! As we rose from our slumber and greeted the morning, we were privileged to enjoy one of those spectacular Baja sunrises that the Sea of Cortez is noted for. After breakfast, we enjoyed a morning of expedition. We explored a new beach, which had great snorkeling, and took some nice desert hikes. Once back onboard, we were off with high hopes to find more whales. We spent the rest of the day enjoying their company, and we were not disappointed. In fact, the bridge crew found two very friendly humpbacks that approached our ship. As we sat motionless for almost an hour, these whales proceeded to go back and forth under the bow before surfacing straight below our extremely excited guests! After our friends finally went on their way, we continued to cruise south and were treated to a magical sunset over the Baja Peninsula. Just another incredible day in the Sea of Cortez!
