Baja whale adventure filled with spectacular wildlife...

On our second day, we arrived at Islas San Benito just as the sun was rising. We went to the east island first, for a skiff ride along some rocky coves that have been a hideout for guadalupe fur seals the last several years. The water was beautifully clear, with golden garbaldi contrasting against the olive green kelp and dark blue water. The barking fur seals, with their distinctively pointed snoots, were in every nook and cranny along the shore. Some were dry, their thick, luxurious coats silverish in the early morning light. Others were slick and shiny black, just in from frolicking about in the water with the other youngsters. They are very vocal and there is much interaction with one another: mock battles, pushing and twisting around in circles in the water. We watched two young fur seals approach, then harass, a weaner elephant seal. Soon all three animals were barking and squealing, with their bubble gum-pink mouths wide open and big teeth revealed as they wrestled on the rocks.

Back at the west island, we had a wonderful day ashore, hiking along the low cliffs to see groups of elephant seal weaners mixed with a few mature females. The older animals were back ashore for their molt, and looked incredibly scraggly with patches of fur and skin falling off. If they weren't sleeping, the seals were playing at the water's edge, or lazily flipping sand onto their backs. In the water, spirals of golden-brown kelp against a background of lush, verdant eel grass offset a pale gray weaner slowly swimming upside down toward the pastel turquoise of a sandy bottom -- it was a wonderful combination of colors and sensual, graceful movement.

The next morning, the air was filled with excitement as the Searcher approached San Ignacio Lagoon. The gray whales blowing outside of the entrance to the lagoon were just a glimpse of the wonders we found within. After we anchored inside the lagoon, we met our panga drivers who are local fishermen that cater to whale watchers instead of fishing during the months the whales are in the lagoon. We had just pulled away from the Searcher when we had a cow/calf pair approach our boat. This mom and baby weren't shy and immediately raised their heads toward us to get touched. One of the passengers in the panga was a veteran from last year and eagerly reached out for a touch. The other passengers seemed a bit reluctant initially. It was their first close look at these whales, and a 40-foot long gray whale within arm's length can be a daunting sight! But the whales were insistent, and soon everyone was involved. Both the calf and the cow kept coming to us, turning on their sides to look at us, or bringing their heads out of the water toward our hands. Then the calf slid along the side of the panga with its mouth open and its creamy white baleen visible. The mom showed her baleen also, then swam under us, perpendicular to the panga, and upside down. She gently pushed up and lifted us slightly out of the water and stayed in this position while I rubbed her belly and two throat grooves. There were a lot of smiles and loads of laughter in our panga!

Back at the Searcher for lunch, we were interrupted by a cow/calf pair swimming around the panga tied to the stern. Food was discarded for cameras, and we got our exercise as the whales went from one side of the boat to the other. They were spyhopping, the calf was riding on top of the mom, and generally thrilling us with their close-up antics. The mom was frequently seen with her snout against the underside of the boat, pushing and rubbing. In our afternoon whale watch, we could easily identify this whale because of the red paint on her snout!

The rest of our time in the lagoon continued in this fashion -- incredibly friendly whales, and always two to four whales communing with Searcher. Several people skipped the pangas, and whale watched from on board the Searcher. We almost couldn't leave the lagoon because the whales kept getting under the boat and wouldn't let Art Taylor, our captain, put the engines in gear!

Heading south toward Cabo San Lucas, we searched the horizon for flows as we traveled past Magdalena Bay and its protective islands, Magdalena and Margarita. We had our first blue whale sighting at 0810, and by the time we left this area we had seen seven species of cetaceans. We briefly watched a fin whale cow/calf pair traveling north, followed two humpback whales also going north (we obviously weren't getting very far on our journey south, as every animal we were following was going north), and then saw a blow far on the horizon to the south. We headed toward the blow, scanning the horizon, when we saw another quick blow, and an even quicker dorsal fin. This smaller animal was soon identified as a Bryde's whale. Interspersed throughout the entire day were groups of short- and long-beaked common dolphins, and bottlenose dolphins. Four baleen whale species and three dolphin species! The pelagic red crabs, green sea turtle, pink-footed, black-vented and sooty shearwaters, and many other seabirds just reinforced our wonder at the wealth of life in these waters.

Inside the Sea of Cortez, we spent one morning at Punta Colorado on the island of San Jose. We started the day with skiff rides along the incredible red sandstone cliffs, sculpted into fantastic forms by wind and water. Then we hiked up a dry canyon wash that was filled with desert greenery and wildflowers of all colors - from the brilliant red ocotillo to the soft purple of desert cotton. The heat of the hike made our snorkel even that more inviting.

We left the island just after lunch, and an hour later started following a massive blue whale that brought its immense fluke high out of the water every time it dived. After observing several dive sequences, we were behind the whale, and cheers erupted as six of us who had been here on Searcher in 2001 realized that we had followed this same whale last year! Its fluke was very distinctive, curled downward on one side and wavy on the other side. One of the crew brought out some photos from last year, and the ID was confirmed! We were so excited, particularly since this whale was such a consistent fluker -- what a photo opportunity. Suddenly, we saw a bright flash of white - it was the underside of the blue whale's 6 foot long pectoral fin - and the whale was going through the water on its side. Then we noticed there were huge, reddish balls of krill in the water. The whale was lunge feeding on the surface! When the whale was down, we looked for the balls of krill, and watched in that area. Soon we saw the water surging in as the huge mouth opened and the baleen pleats expanded in an explosion of energy and power. It was over in a split second. The whale righted itself, blew a couple times, and then went down in hunt of its next mouthful. Large manta rays were feasting in this abundance also. While the whale was down, we watched the mantas race through the water just below the surface, causing masses of krill to jump out of the water like a swarm of grasshoppers. It was an incredible afternoon, topped off by some bottlenose dolphins bowriding on "our" blue whale as it moved away from the watery smorgasbord.

We enjoyed two more days of exploring desert canyons and washes, snorkeling in waters filled with exotic fish and washes, whale watching through the fertile waters of the Sea of Cortez, and reveling in the rich, red glow of marvelous sunsets. The serenity and majesty of Baja California is a phenomenon that astounds the senses.