Bahia Magdalena – Day 4

Soledad
Again this morning there was the same as yesterday there was a “Sunrise Zodiac departure and a “Civilized” departure. We chose again the “Civilized” departure so at 8:00 a.m. we headed to the dinning room for a breakfast of the great selections of cold items and Chef’s Choice Scrambled Eggs, Sweet Crapes and Bacon.

At 9:00 a.m. we boarded our Zodiac with the incoming tide and a northwest wind, the Boca de Soledad, translated as “The Mouth of Solitude,” lived up to its name. The undulating waters of this narrow channel serve as the entry and exit to the Pacific for California gray whales as they complete one leg of their journey to Baja from Alaska.

Zodiac
From Zodiac
We scanned the seas from our bobbing Zodiac and spotted several large bushy blows. At almost 45 feet, these animals dwarfed our 20 foot inflatable boats. When two adult whales surfaced only yards from us, our excitement reached a crescendo. Our morning cruises had been met with adventurous conditions, but our close encounters made it all worth it.

Mid morning, our local pilot, Alejandro Camacho rejoined us for our southbound transit of Hull Canal.

We returned to the Sea Lion for a deck lunch but the weather did not cooperate. Lunch in the dinning room was Organic Mixed Green Salad, Potato Salad, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Garden Burgers and “Blondies” for dessert.

Bette Presentation
Bette Presentation
Mid-afternoon naturalist Betty Lu Kraus shared her program, Living in the Sun: Desert Plant Adaptations.
Pacific
Upon exiting Magdalena Bay, the National Geographic Sea Lion made her first wake in the Pacific Ocean. The largest of Earth’s oceans, the Pacific is a highly productive body of water that holds many mysteries yet to be discovered. With following winds and seas, the ship gently pitched as we headed south towards the Cape. After two days in the protected waters of Magdalena Bay, the quiet rocking of the ship was a welcome and soothing sensation to many. But our siestas would not last long.
Fanny Deck
From all directions and with blinding speed approached scores of long-beaked common dolphins. Often in small, synchronous groups, these small dolphins seemed intent on bow riding and jumping our wake. For nearly half and hour there was not a bad viewpoint on the ship. Crammed together in impossible density were a dozen or more animals riding the bow. From the port and starboard we could watch dolphins jumping from nearly straight below and if one ventured to the stern, dolphins could be seen jumping and surfing our wake.
Dolphins
Dolphins
SunsetThis encounter with dozens of dolphins seemed to mark a new chapter in our expedition. From here on out, we could expect the unexpected.Dinner was Roasted Rack of Lamb with chimichurri sauce OR Fish Cakes with citrus-chipotle remoulade OR Stuffed Portobello Mushroom. Dessert was Profiteroles, ice cream with chocolate sauce.

The gentle pitching of the ship and the sound of the water against the hull made for a restful night.

 
Day three > Day four > Day five