The Boca de Soledad and Hull Canal
At anchor near the Boca de Soledad, in the stillness of the night, blows could be heard surrounding the ship. As the sun rose, the source of the blows, gray whales, came into view, much to the excitement of everyone onboard. Whether on the ship or riding in a Zodiac, there was no shortage of whales to watch. The glass surface of the water was broken as the whales surfaced to breathe; the heart shaped blow lingered in the nearly motionless air. We have been in the presence of gray whales for the past three days and each day we have observed new behaviors and gained more insight into the world of these gentle giants. Hunted nearly to extinction only 100 years ago, this morning these whales displayed trust and a curiosity towards us that paralleled our own. With an encouraging push from the mothers, several of the calves approached the Zodiacs affording everyone close-up views, awe-inspiring moments, and an excuse to get their hands wet. We returned to the ship having experienced, for many, the equivalent of a life-time’s worth of wildlife viewing and it was not even time for lunch. The Zodiacs were raised followed by the anchor, and although we were reluctant to leave Bahia Magdalena and the gray whales, the anticipation of what lay ahead, the wildlife to be viewed and the adventures to be experienced, drove us to the bow, binoculars in hand, as we cruised the Hull Canal.
To take advantage of a beautiful day and to enable continuous wildlife viewing opportunities, lunch was served on the deck. Where else can you see brown pelicans, egrets, herons, coyotes, and burros walking across sand dunes, all the while delighting in Gazpacho and voyaging down a mangrove bordered channel? After lunch, we returned to our posts on the bow of the ship and were rewarded with bow-riding Bottlenose dolphins. Although we have observed dolphins from afar, this is our first opportunity to view the first, of hopefully many, Odontocetes, or toothed whales, of the trip. As we approached la Entrada or "the entrance" of Bahia Magdalena, we were treated to another view of gray whales, this time single, adult animals lingering in this popular mating area. Upon our transition into the Pacific Ocean, we found it living up to its name and continued revel in smooth sailing. Before the sun set over the open ocean, we were joined by Common dolphins and swarms of pelagic red crabs being preyed upon by schools of fish and a pair of gray whales, an uncommon observation for these stereotypically benthic feeders. As the sun set, we watched for the green flash and said farewell to the gray whales.
At anchor near the Boca de Soledad, in the stillness of the night, blows could be heard surrounding the ship. As the sun rose, the source of the blows, gray whales, came into view, much to the excitement of everyone onboard. Whether on the ship or riding in a Zodiac, there was no shortage of whales to watch. The glass surface of the water was broken as the whales surfaced to breathe; the heart shaped blow lingered in the nearly motionless air. We have been in the presence of gray whales for the past three days and each day we have observed new behaviors and gained more insight into the world of these gentle giants. Hunted nearly to extinction only 100 years ago, this morning these whales displayed trust and a curiosity towards us that paralleled our own. With an encouraging push from the mothers, several of the calves approached the Zodiacs affording everyone close-up views, awe-inspiring moments, and an excuse to get their hands wet. We returned to the ship having experienced, for many, the equivalent of a life-time’s worth of wildlife viewing and it was not even time for lunch. The Zodiacs were raised followed by the anchor, and although we were reluctant to leave Bahia Magdalena and the gray whales, the anticipation of what lay ahead, the wildlife to be viewed and the adventures to be experienced, drove us to the bow, binoculars in hand, as we cruised the Hull Canal.
To take advantage of a beautiful day and to enable continuous wildlife viewing opportunities, lunch was served on the deck. Where else can you see brown pelicans, egrets, herons, coyotes, and burros walking across sand dunes, all the while delighting in Gazpacho and voyaging down a mangrove bordered channel? After lunch, we returned to our posts on the bow of the ship and were rewarded with bow-riding Bottlenose dolphins. Although we have observed dolphins from afar, this is our first opportunity to view the first, of hopefully many, Odontocetes, or toothed whales, of the trip. As we approached la Entrada or "the entrance" of Bahia Magdalena, we were treated to another view of gray whales, this time single, adult animals lingering in this popular mating area. Upon our transition into the Pacific Ocean, we found it living up to its name and continued revel in smooth sailing. Before the sun set over the open ocean, we were joined by Common dolphins and swarms of pelagic red crabs being preyed upon by schools of fish and a pair of gray whales, an uncommon observation for these stereotypically benthic feeders. As the sun set, we watched for the green flash and said farewell to the gray whales.
