We woke up to a beautiful sunrise as we dropped anchor near Ensenada el Cardonal for an activity-packed day! After breakfast, we snorkeled along a shallow reef below a volcanic rock wall. Next, we had the option for kayaking or Zodiac tours of the bay. We then returned to the ship for a tasty lunch. Afterwards, we hiked along an arroyo, a dry riverbed. We saw at least four different types of cacti: cardon, organ pipe, galloping, and cholla. On the way back to the ship, we observed birds diving into the water and a sea turtle. We ended the day with a wonderful presentation from undersea specialist Sierra Phillips. She showed us highlights of footage from a scuba dive. What an amazing day!
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!
