We awoke to a little rocking as we cruised along the southern Pacific coast toward Magdalena Bay. Along the way, we enjoyed presentations by our naturalists: Shannon Malone spoke on ecological management in Baja California, and Jeff Campbell talked about the unique ecology of the gray whale. After lunch, we explored a wonderful part of Magdalena Island. This exotic terrain has a sandbar that is about a quarter-mile wide covered in ever-shifting sand dunes. On the Pacific side of the sandbar is a beautiful beach covered in sand dollars. Afterward, we were treated to the lovely tunes played by musical group Los Cayotes. What a beautiful and relaxing day we had.
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!
