Isla Carmen and Danzante, 12/22/2021, National Geographic Venture
Aboard the
National Geographic Venture
Baja California
Sunrises and sunsets in Baja California have quite the reputation for their beauty, and today was no exception. The first hints of light illuminated lingering wisps of clouds before painting the steep walls of the peninsular mountain range. Light winds and warm temperatures met the crepuscular light as it broke the horizon. Seabirds glided around the ship as we pulled into our first anchorage for the day, Isla Carmen.
For our morning excursion, we donned wetsuits and dove below. The underwater environment was teeming with fish on rocky reefs, including sergeant major and king angelfish. Juvenile giant damselfish, bright blue with dazzling flashes, looked like jewels hiding among the coral. In cracks and crevices, urchins and sea stars crawled about. So much life spoke to the diversity contained in the waters of the Vermilion Sea.
Born in the mountains of east Tennessee, it was easy for Steve to fall in love with the wonderful natural environment around him. What started as a childhood passion to scan the creeks and ponds for all they would reveal evolved into a studied desire...
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This morning, National Geographic Venture guests explored the unique sand dune ecosystem on Isla Magdalena, Baja California Sur. It was lovely to stretch our legs in the soft sand before returning to the ship, where we started the long journey around the Baja Peninsula on our way to Cabo Pulmo.
Having crossed the Tropic of Cancer after navigating south through the night, this morning we woke up inside the tropics near the tiny town of Cabo Pulmo. The sleepy village is now world famous because of the tremendous success of the Cabo Pulmo National Park, created by the Mexican government in 1995. With the local people being the most interested in the protection of the waters off their homes, they made sure that the new rules were enforced and as a result, fish populations recovered in a big way. Researchers that monitored the recovery shocked the world a few years ago when they published their results showing a staggering 463% rebound of biomass, the biggest of any marine protected area in the planet. An extraordinary example of how nature can come back if we give her a chance. Today, Cabo Pulmo is still a quiet sleepy place where divers from all over the world go to admire the huge schools of jacks, goatfishes, groupers, and many other reef fish species. The whole area around the southernmost part of the Baja California peninsula is also very special for another reason; it is one of the main breeding areas for humpback whales in the North Pacific. We started encountering those marvelous creatures early in the morning and continued to do so throughout the day. Humpbacks travel here from faraway places like the coasts of Oregon and Washington, British Columbia, and even the Aleutian Islands where they spend their summers busily feeding. Here, they forget about those gastronomical pleasures and engage in more romantic affairs. Males look for and compete among each other for females, and the cows that got pregnant the season before give birth to their calves in the warm southern Baja waters. Intelligent creatures, the humpbacks delighted and intrigued us with their antics the entire day. Some raised their flukes or 15 ft long pectoral fins up in the air before a deeper dive and so on. We also enjoyed many whales breaching and even saw a few double-breaches today! We later had the opportunity to admire the beautify granitic arch at Land’s End that is a true peninsular icon and enjoyed the view of numerous magnificent frigatebirds, boobies, and other sea birds, as well as a small group of California sea lions that call the place home. Land’s End is also one of the boundaries of the Sea of Cortez and by crossing it after sunset, we entered the open Pacific waters for more adventures to come exploring the marvels of Baja California.
A beautiful sunrise across the peninsular range greeted us as we cruised the San Jose Channel this morning. We spotted a large pod of common dolphins surfing in the wake of our ship. Afterward, we came ashore at Puerto Los Gatos on the mainland of the peninsula. We hiked through the desert arroyo and summited a peak overlooking the bay. As we explored the shoreline of this remote coast, pink rocks of lithified sand dunes served as a striking backdrop for our peaceful morning. Guests snapped triumphant photos while taking in the whole of the arroyo’s ecosystem. During lunch, we repositioned the ship toward Isla San Jose. We spent our last afternoon in the protected waters of Kelly’s Beach. We enjoyed kayaking and SUPing, or stand up paddleboarding. Our small travel group became quite close over these last four days. We encountered a mix of emotions as we recounted our trip and prepared to say goodbye. I hope we will sail again together soon, and from all of us here aboard National Geographic Venture , we wish you safe travels!
