Our morning on board National Geographic Sea Lion began with a beautiful sunrise over the Pacific Ocean.
Our first outing was an early-morning landing at Punta Belcher on Isla Magdalena. Stepping out of the inflatable boats into the cool sea, we arrived on to the barren, cobbled beach. Fishermen were taking off in their pangas and huge flocks of gulls, brown pelicans and royal terns filled the sky overhead.
Enjoying the solitude and unique beauty, we observed remains of marine invertebrates and watched pelagic red crabs darting about. Many shells of different sizes, shapes, and colors were seen, including the giant egg cockle.
As we were having our breakfast we entered Hull Canal and anchored at El Barril. We had an option to explore the mangroves by kayak or inflatable landing craft. The sunshine and calm conditions made for a perfect setting and we saw numerous birds including marbled godwits, white ibis, snowy egrets, and blue herons.
Back on Sea Lion we were treated to a delicious lunch out on the sundeck.
While we were learning about the geology of Baja from our naturalist Pete, we heard an excited cry: “killer whales!” Grabbing cameras and binoculars we hurried out on deck and were delighted to see several magnificent orcas bow-riding right next to the ship. These animals are the largest of the porpoises and we watched mothers and their calves gliding gracefully through the water. A couple of males, distinguished by their tall dorsal fins, were also spotted. We should have lots of super photos to show our friends and families at home!
