Checking in from Baja California Sur!
National Geographic Sea Bird is presently anchored just south of Porto Lopez Mateos. We woke to another stunning sunrise and refreshing stretch class from legendary wellness specialist, Allison Dickey. Today is set to be a busy day filled with gray whale searching.
This morning we are in the northern part of Magdalena Bay where we are searching for mother and calf pairs. With this species, the mating pairs typically stay on the south end of this massive and long bay, while the moms and calves typically stay on the north side.
Our expedition leader, Steve, arranged two rounds of whale searching for our guests. One excursion was offered in the morning and one in the afternoon, each three hours long, and WOW were we successful! Two whales were clearly pregnant, plus we encountered a small pod of bottlenose dolphins. The second round went a little differently, as the winds began to pick up during lunch, so we searched for whales then ducked into a stunning mangrove system to search for delightful birds.
The mangroves twist and turn and if you know the way, you end up at an oyster farm AND the lucky guests that came out in the afternoon were spoiled with freshly harvested oysters, complete with lime and hot sauce. We cheered for our oyster farmer hosts as everyone agreed that we just enjoyed the best oysters of our lives!
As we closed the day, we spotted a coyote on the shoreline digging and feeding off scallops. Laughter echoed throughout the ship as guests returned to their home away from home.
The sun set and painted the sky oranges, pinks, and purples. We raised a glass to an absolutely magical day here in Baja California.