This morning, National Geographic Venture navigated along the San Jose Canal in search of charismatic megafauna. Just before breakfast, guests and naturalists found three blows that indicated the presence of humpback whales. These medium-sized cetaceans performed amazing, powerful, and energetic breaches very close to the vessel. Once we got wonderful photos, the ship anchored at Arroyo Encantado, also known as Kelley’s Beach, where we explored the wide and deep arroyo. Our guests were introduced to fauna and flora, including various beautiful shells, dead marine creatures on the shore, turkey vultures, the elusive and endemic Xantus’s hummingbird, flycatchers, tarantula hawks, lizards, flowers from different plants, and the elephant cactus or cardon.
2/3/2025
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National Geographic Venture
Punta Colorada, Isla San Jose
We started our day with a perfect sunrise tinting the clouds in fading pinks and oranges. We had an all-in-one day starting with snorkeling by the colorful rocky shores of Punta Colorada, a place that is only accessible when we have perfectly calm conditions as we had today. We spotted a humpback whale straight from the dining room during lunch, and right after we headed back out for our arroyo hikes and kayaking. The cove was unbelievably beautiful. Trapped in the sandstone, we found innumerable fossils of shells and even the carapace of a turtle and some whalebones. We also learned of the Baja California desert vegetation and history from our informative naturalist that led the way. We went kayaking which provided a spectacular perspective of the tall pink and yellow walls that line the coves. From Zodiacs we could enjoy the enviable views of this pristine island. We are only on day one of National Geographic Venture’s Among the Great Whales expedition and we have seen and done so much. We feel accomplished yet we’re hungry for more!
