Our northbound night passage was uneventful as National Geographic Sea Bird made her way from lands’ end to the entrance of Magdalena Bay. The wind had been light so there was little swell which made for a smooth ride north. In the morning we were off the western coast of Isla Margarita, one of the barrier islands that creates the whale lagoons for the California grey whales. On approach there was a flurry of activity to our north, which turned out to be a huge group of common dolphins. These energetic and athletic toothed whales move in large groups in many of the worlds’ oceans. We made several passes to see these wonderful dolphins
Midday found us entering into Magdalena Bay. A few grey whales and humpback whales were seen making their way in and out of La Entrada or the entrance. Hundreds of seabirds were also witnessed following some of the local fishing boats.
After lunch our local pilot arrived so we could navigate the Hull Canal, so named because of its shallowness and narrowness in some parts. The wind was low and the sun bright as we ventured north. Many shore birds were seen as we made our way north. We also were able to see an elusive coyote near a fishing camp. These adaptable canids live in many parts of North America due to their ability to scavenge for food near cities and out in nature. Later during the transit a few bottlenose dolphins were witnessed making their living in the Hull Canal feeding on small fish. After anchoring walks on the amazing sand dunes were offered before coming back to the ship for cocktails and dinner.
