Today was a life-changing day aboard National Geographic Sea Bird. We started our morning boarding local pangas, driven by permitted pangeros who know these waters better than anyone else. On the east side of Santa Margarita Island we cruised toward where our local guides had seen whales the previous day, stopping at a well-known frigatebird colony along the way. After fulfilling some dreams of our onboard birders, we were greeted by more gray whales than we could count. The “ooohs” and “ahhhs” radiated throughout the panga as we watched these whales spyhop, breach, and steal our hearts.
After a better morning than we could have asked for, we cruised to Puerto Magdalena. This was the first time Lindblad visited this remote little village, but it won’t be the last. Some of our guests enjoyed a guided desert walk that ended in a viewpoint overlooking the Pacific; others opted for fat-tire bikes and rode across the Baja peninsula to the Pacific. After our various activities, we all met together for ceviche and drinks before returning to National Geographic Sea Bird to watch the fiery sunset and reminisce over the day.
