Today National Geographic Venture woke up off stunning Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park. We took Zodiacs ashore to start our day of adventure. Some guests opted for the long (7+ miles) Torrey Pines hike to the endemic tree groves of the island; others explored the rugged beauty of Cherry Canyon; still others embarked on Zodiac cruises to explore the sea. Some of our hikers were lucky enough to see a breaching humpback whale while high up on a vista viewpoint, while others saw the adorable and elusive island fox. Regardless of what our guests chose to do today, they were rewarded with an incredible time full of rare nature opportunities. This afternoon was spent hiding from the wind on the leeside of Santa Cruz Island; we had some presentations from our on board experts, and enjoyed the “drink of the day” with fun appetizers during cocktail hour.
11/6/2024
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National Geographic Venture
Cruising around Catalina Island and Southern California Coast, Channel Islands National Park
Today the adventurers aboard National Geographic Venture embodied the true spirit and meaning of expedition mentality. After gusts of up to 40mph and swells of more than five feet, the backside of Catalina Island was too weather restricted to be a good spot to perform land operations. Guests, crew, and staff pivoted quickly to a plan of wildlife cruising while heading for safe harbor by the shores of Malibu. Little did everyone realize that the unexpected way the day would unfold would be all the more joyful due to our new plan. Cruising brought sightings of many seabirds such as, brown pelicans, fulmars, and shearwaters presumably making their way south away from the Santa Ana winds that were filling in quickly. Guests enjoyed expedition staff presentations and trivia games before being treated to one of the most spectacular wildlife encounters a ship can experience on the California coast. An hour before sunset the ship wide announcement was made that we were surrounded by a megapod of Common dolphins. A megapod or super pod of dolphins is usually considered to contain one thousand or more dolphins, so this was a special interaction. After our final dinner and slideshow, we were treated to another sighting of this same species of dolphin, but at night in waters filled with bioluminescent plankton lighting up when agitated by the movement of the dolphins that were chasing fish in front of the bow of the ship. Today really was a sight to see.
