After a fine night of cruising south from Magdalena Bay we awoke just north of Cabo Falso, with humpbacks in the distance, and a phalanx of frigatebirds drafting the currents above the wheelhouse. As we approached the Arches at Lands End, just west of Cabo San Lucas, the sun was beginning to poke out from behind morning clouds that completely dissipated by the time we disembarked at San Juan del Cabo. A fine morning of touring San Juan and looking for birds at the mouth of the Rio de San Juan was nearly forgotten as we were privileged to witness one of the finest displays of humpback breaching out on Gorda Bank! The whales were good enough to take a rest just in time for us to maintain out scheduled departure, so we could make our date with the day at Punta Colorado in the morning.
2/3/2025
Read
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!
