WildOceans Baja California and the Sea of Cortez

 Trip Report 2008

By Tour Leaders David Wimpfheimer and Scot Anderson

Day 1 (Saturday 29th March)

Pacific Coast - San Diego

Most of the group flew in from the UK the previous evening and spent the night close to the harbour.  This morning a group joined naturalist David Wimpfheimer for an optional birding tour in the varied habitats of San Diego and adjacent cities.  First near the mouth of the San Diego River, we saw a variety of waders and terns.  We then traveled inland where the oak woodland and riparian habitat showed us many land birds including Acorn and Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Anna’s Hummingbird, Cassin’s Kingbird and Western Bluebird.  Later along the shores of the bay, we enjoyed fine views of Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teal, Long-billed Curlew and a Glaucous-winged Gull.  The group gained an appreciation for the area that makes it “America’s birdiest city” and tallied 104 species for the day.

We boarded the Spirit of Adventure in the evening.  After unpacking our gear, we enjoyed the dinner buffet and met fellow travelers.  David and Scot Anderson gave us an orientation and briefed us on the journey.  Later Captain Mike Keating outlined the safety features of the boat and gave us a general orientation.  At exactly 10:00 pm, we departed and were soon feeling the sea air in our faces.  The boat slowed to give us views of the egrets, herons and pelicans trying to grab fish out of the “bait tanks.”  Over 300 Brandt’s Cormorants were an unusual sight there. California Sea Lions snorted and barked at us as we motored by. We went to sleep full of anticipation for the forthcoming adventure.

Day 2 (Sunday 30th March)

Pacific Coast - Todos Santos Island

We arrived at Ensenada harbor at 5:30 am; it was still dark as we waited for the Customs officials.  The weather was overcast with a cold breeze out of the northwest. After breakfast, we headed out of the harbour where we spotted a small group of five Bottlenose Dolphins feeding at the surface while California and Western Gulls flew around us and over the wake.  Out ahead of us was Todos Santos Island, where we could see hundreds of Brown Pelicans hovering above. We spotted lots of Brandt’s Cormorant and one Pelagic Cormorant sitting on the cliff while a Peregrine Falcon watched from it’s roost above.

After we left the island, heading south, we spotted a small group of Long-beaked Common Dolphins. Next, we came across two Gray Whales swimming slowly north.  As we followed them; two more joined them and another two.  The six whales were migrating to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. From the upper deck folks spotted good numbers of Red Phalaropes and Northern Fulmar, as well as Black-vented, Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwaters. We topped off our list with a Black-footed Albatross.  These great sea birds nest in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands and make foraging trips to the west coast of Baja.

Day 3  (Monday 31st March)

Pacific Coast – San Benitos Island

Shortly after daybreak, we were just north of the San Benitos Islands.  Most of us were getting our sea legs in spite of a rolling sea.  Capt Mike anchored the Spirit in a cove on the south side of the west island and we headed to shore at 7:30 am.  After David oriented us on the significance of the geologic setting and the evolution of endemic species, we walked to the south side of the island. Many Northern Elephant Seals, most of which were there to molt, were in the rocky coves.  There were many wieners (recently weaned seals.)  All the breeding adults have gone to sea.

Even more noteworthy than the seals were about 15-20 Guadalupe Fur Seals cavorting on the rocks and in the water.  The group learned that like the Elephant Seal, this pinnipeds was thought to be extinct due to extreme hunting.  Fortunately, they were protected and have been breeding on these islands only in the last eight years.

David took a small group on the long hike up to the lighthouse, while Scot took the rest through the little town to the north side to look at more seals and birds.  David’s group had great views of the island and Horned Larks.  There had been enough rainfall to produce a good carpeting of yellow Tarweed, multicolored Brodiea and the lovely white and purple San Benitos Mallow.  These and the diminutive Mammalaria cactus are endemics found nowhere else in he world.

Despite being dry and devoid of any native mammals, the island supports an impressive variety of raptors.  A Peregrine spent most of the morning patrolling the sea cliffs while American Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks foraged.  The number of Osprey was fantastic as were their large nests.

Once back on the boat we headed to East San Benitos Island for some skiff rides.  On the rocks were many noisy California Sea Lions.  In addition to several Black Turnstones we also spotted an American Oystercatcher.  The kelp was especially thick and abundant , due to high productivity in the colder sea this year.

We pulled the anchor and headed south. Some of the folks on the upper deck got a brief view of a Minke Whale.  They were able to see the white undersides of the animal before it swam off quickly.  Minkes are not as tolerant of boats here, compared to the north Atlantic and, rarely give us great views.  Just before sunset dozens of Black-vented Shearwaters gracefully flew by the boat, skimming the waves and then arcing up in a soaring fashion.  The dramatic sunset was an exclamation point to a great day.

Day 4  (Tuesday 1st April)

Pacific Coast – San Ignacio Lagoon

Rolling down swell all night the weather improved and we awoke to a calm ride as we left the big swell behind us. The wind was off shore when we approached the entrance of San Ignacio lagoon. The waves were breaking on both sides of us as Captain Mike expertly glided the Spirit through the channel. Once we were inside the lagoon, we spotted many Gray Whales.  All the whales we saw were cow-calf pairs.

We motored up to Rocky Point and dropped the anchor. Quickly, our three panga drivers; Max, Ramon and Chopey arrived.  We put on our rain gear to protect ourselves from spray and were off on a new adventure.  It wasn’t long before we saw several Gray Whale calves coming close to our small boats.  To be so close to these playful and gentle cetaceans was an incredible thrill. The mother whales would come close to our boats, but the three to four month old calves were bolder and amazingly were now coming close enough that we could actually touch them!  It was difficult to know what these whales were feeling, but it was hard not to think that they were enjoying us as much as the other way around.

We had many good views of the (inshore) Bottlenose Dolphins, surfacing, diving and chasing fish while the Royal Terns, Brown Pelicans and gulls dived from the sky. We saw White Ibis, Reddish Egret, Surf Scoters, Black Brant, Common Loon (in breeding plumage) and a Magnificent Frigate Bird flying over the lagoon.  

Scot gave a slide presentation on Gray Whales after dinner and we ended another rewarding and full day. It was nice to be on the anchor, instead of rolling all night, and we headed to bed looking forward to another day in this very special place.

Day 5  (Monday 2nd April)

Pacific Coast – San Ignacio Lagoon

A mottled sky gave us a pink dawn before breakfast.  Biscuits and gravy for breakfast was a new experience for some.  After our panga drivers ate their meal we headed into the mangroves to look at the variety of birds that roost, nest and feed in this productive habitat. Mangrove Warbler is an endemic race of Yellow Warbler and most everyone had good views of this elusive bird.  As the boats proceeded up the tidal slough there were excellent views of a large variety of wading birds; White Ibis, Reddish, Snowy and Great Egrets, Green, Great Blue, Little Blue, Tri-colored, Black and Yellow-crowned Night Herons.  Amongst the saltgrass, Long Billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit and Willet roosted.

We landed at the end of the slough and made a small exploration of the sand dunes.  The tracks of a fox, Coyote and many small rodents told a story.

After a short break on the Spirit, we continued whale watching from the pangas.  One boat enjoyed some especially extra-friendly cow-calf pairs.  Many excited voices shared stories of our unique close encounters of the cetacean kind.

One skiff headed down to the opening of the lagoon after lunch and found a mother that was even more playful than her calf.  The calf matched its mother’s exuberance by opening its mouth and showing off it’s baleen within.

At 5:00 pm we said good-bye to our skiff drivers; Ramon, Chopey and Max, thanking them for their expertise and care in sharing this magical place.

Captain Mike, navigated through the narrow and shallow entrance to San Ignacio, and we made it out safely. We turned south, riding a following sea.  Scot gathered most everyone to watch the sun as it blurred into the distant horizon.  It flattened into a luminous orange disc before fading out.  There was no green flash, but a few dolphins swam by ending a spectacular day.

Day 6  (Thursday 3^rd April)

Pacific Coast – Magdalena Bay

At daybreak, the Spirit was traveling southward off Punta Lazaro. The sunrise lit up the clouds over the barrier islands which make up Magdalena Bay, the weather was cool, with 15 knots of northwest wind. At 7:30, just after breakfast, we found a pair of Blue Whales. These huge cetaceans are the largest animals on earth and are best identified by their pale grey color, massive size, tall blow and small dorsal fin. The name “Blue Whale” comes from the color blue, which shows through the water as it appears on the light pigment of the whale. The sea was quite bumpy, and the whales were in the trough, so we decided to keep moving south looking for more wildlife as we headed to the Cape.

As we rolled down swell, we had good views of Black-vented, Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwaters and a dozen or so Long-beaked Common Dolphins.  Scot fed the gulls some stale bread.  This will often bring in other birds, which are attracted from miles away by the sight of feeding birds hovering over the ocean.  It worked! The commoner California Gulls were joined by two frigatebirds, an immature Heermann’s and three beautiful Franklin's Gulls.

After lunch, we had six Bonaparte's Gulls fly by and two Humpback Whales breaching in the distance. We ran to the Humpbacks, which stopped breaching right when we got there. We followed them for a while, and determined that this was a cow-calf pair. They seemed to be avoiding us, by changing direction and speed, so we left them alone and continued running south. From 2:30 until 4:30, we encountered five different Blue Whales.  The sea conditions made it difficult to follow them, but we had some great views of these amazing creatures.

At about 5:00, Captain Mike found a group of about 300 Long-beaked Common Dolphins. As we approached the group, they rushed at the Spirit, punching through the swell and leaping in groups of 10 to 20.  These masters of the ocean swim with grace, power and speed and they make it look fun! Back on the Spirit, we struggled to take pictures and stand up; suddenly the boat rolled to the side and like dominos, a group on the bow fell to the deck.  No one was seriously hurt (thank goodness) but a reminder of the golden rule aboard vessels, always ‘one hand for the ship’.  The day ended with a beautiful sunset in the western sky.

Day 7  (Friday, 4th April)

Gorda Banks to Los Frailles

Several folks were up before dawn and took in a pink-orange palette of color over the Sea of Cortez.  We had calm waters as we slowly cruised over the Gorda Bank, just south of the tip of the Baja Peninsula.  The first of many dolphins swam alongside the Spirit and were soon just below the bow.  These animals are more robust and larger than the ones we had seen inside the lagoon; they were the offshore form of Bottlenose Dolphins.  Some were scarred and one distinctive mammal had a very pale head.  The dolphins swam and jumped near the boat for the next two hours.  The only thing that pulled us away was our breakfast, the traditional huevos rancheros.

The bank, an undersea mount, is a well-known area for Humpback Whales and it was not long before we saw two different groups.  We had excellent views of the undersides of their flukes and could detect the distinctive patterns that help in identifying individual whales. After we followed the second group for a while, one whale started slapping its huge pectoral fins down on the water.  The resulting sound was quite loud. “Pecslapping” is a behavior often associated with other acrobatics like breaching.  This whale did not disappoint.  Most of missed the first breach and only saw a huge splash. Soon we saw several more breaches, but the animal was in the glare and difficult to photograph.

A north wind had picked up creating some large waves. We left these animals behind and motored further up into the gulf. Captain Mike announced that a shark was swimming slowly off the right side of the boat.  He expertly maneuvered the boat and soon we had a great view of a Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, a strange looking creature.  Some of us were surprised at how brown its colour was.

We anchored at Los Frailles, at around 1:00 pm.  Most of the group enjoyed a swim from the beach or a bit of snorkeling in the shallow water. Later in the afternoon, we walked through the desert to enjoy the birds and plants.  Among the birds seen were: Northern (Crested) Caracara, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Cactus Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Cardinal, Hooded Oriole and Green-tailed Towhee. Back at the Spirit, we washed the sand off our feet, had another great dinner and bumped north into the night.

Day 8  (Saturday 5th April)

Sea of Cortez – San Jose Island

At daybreak, we were approaching San Jose Island from the south. As we dropped anchor the early morning light bathed the many hued sandstone cliffs of Punta Colorado.  We landed on this the eastern side of the island, a spectacular rocky ledge dotted with fossil shells. Walking up the arroyo, we found Black-throated Sparrow, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Verdin and House Finch.  The desert was very hot and dry, we moved from one shady spot to the next. Unlike the lizards such as Common Chuckwalla, Side-Blotched Lizard and Western Whiptail who were just coming out to warm up in the sun, us humans struggled to stay cool.

After getting back to the Spirit, the snorkelers donned their gear and plunged into the clear water from the shore.  The visibility was much better than yesterday and many colorful reef fishes were seen in abundance; King Angel, Rainbow Wrasse, Mexican Goatfish, Colorado Snappers, Sergeant Major and blue gorgonians festooned the rock wall. It felt great to get wet and cool off in the Sea of Cortez. We pulled the anchor and headed out to the north, while Dean and Gary served us a great burrito lunch. The water was almost glassy calm, great conditions to see the spout of a whale and soon we did-it was a Blue Whale! The whale fluked once and we had some great views in the calm sea, at the same time we saw a Hammerhead Shark and lots of Mobula, a type of small Manta Ray. It is amazing to see these big fish “fly” through the water with their huge pectoral fins.

We found a second Blue Whale that we saw fluke once near the boat. Next, we found a large group of about 800 Long-beaked Common Dolphin. These energetic animals travel in tight groups socializing, mating and protecting their young from predators during the day. There were three young Humpbacks, yearlings perhaps, surfacing in the area. We gave them a look, checking to see if one of them was the friendly whale that “played” with the boat on the pervious trip. Captain Mike spotted the Common Dolphins again between San Diego and Santa Cruz Islands. We had great views as they jumped in the orange light of the setting sun. David got the hydrophone out and we listened to the dolphins. Incredibly, one could hear them “talking” with their squeaks, whistles and chirps, while at the same time they were producing clicks and buzzing while echolocating. After sunset, we watched the whole herd split up in all directions, heading out to feed. Unlike in the daytime, they spread out and hunt at night in small groups, before coming back together at daybreak. 

Day 9  (Sunday 6th April)

Sea of Cortez – Santa Catalina Island

Everyone enjoyed the night at anchor offshore Catalina Island. The desert sky was spectacular with Ursa Major, Orion and a plethora of other constellations brilliant in the moonless sky.

Many of us were ashore before 6:30 am to capture the magic dawn light with our cameras.  Of course, we wanted to get up the wash before the passengers from the Sea Bird began their explorations.  The giant Barrel Cactus is found on Santa Catalina and only a few adjacent islands in the gulf.  We marveled at their size, however it was the Cardon Cactus here that especially captivated us. A large grouping or “forest” of Cardon is a cardonal and the brightly lit slopes near us certainly qualified.

In the cool of the early morning, we heard many birds; the “laser gun” shrill call of the Gila Woodpecker, the tinkling of the Black-throated Sparrow and the long whistles of Northern Cardinals.  Loggerhead Shrikes, Verdin and several other species were busy raising young. 

Another endemic that we were hoping to see was the Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake (Rattleless Rattlesnake).  Fortunately, Scot was sharp-eyed and saw one of the cryptically colored snakes off to the side of the wash.  It was almost exactly the same color as the sandy soil and mostly still.

After several hours in this magical landscape, it had warmed considerably.  Predictably, many lizards now scurried along the wash.  The brilliant turquoise Santa Catalina Side-blotched Lizard, another endemic, was the target for many photographers.

Some of us cooled off with a snorkel.  The exquisite King Angel and several species of sea star where especially abundant.

After lunch, we had our first sightings of Red-billed Tropicbird.  It was sitting on the surface showing its distinctive bill color.  In flight, the bird was quite dramatic with its long streamer feathers.  We later saw several more of these striking seabirds.

A Blue Whale was blowing to the south.  When we caught up with it, the giant whale raised its massive flukes out of the water and dove.  In calm seas, we then watched the whale surface five more times.  We were amazingly close, practically looking right down its blowhole, but it never showed its flukes again.

Just before sunset, we found a large group of Common Dolphin, probably the same ones that we had seen yesterday.  They put on an equally wonderful show with leaps and surging swims through our wake.  We enjoyed viewing all these cetaceans against the glowing sunset and the dramatic desert mountains.

Barbequed ribs were a wonderful dinner, but the after dinner show was truly amazing.  There was bioluminescence in the sea and thousands and thousands of small baitfish were leaving streaks of light in the water as they swam in front of the Spirit. Captain Mike found several dolphins.  As they swam in towards the bow and then rode our pressure wave, they left a bright, ghostly tube of light.  Some jumped and left a spattering of sparks and a glow in the water. There were many yells of joy at this marvelous sight. 

The stars above us were equally dramatic.  In the dry, clear dessert sky, many constellations shone brilliantly; Ursa Major, Leo, the Pleiades and Gemini. Through binoculars, we could see the Crab Nebula in Orion.  We all agreed that words alone were  inadequate to describe this amazing spectacle!

Day 10 (Monday 7th April)

Sea of Cortez – San Jose Channel

After a quiet night on the anchor, we awoke to a beautiful bright sunny morning. We went ashore just after breakfast to the small community of Nopolo.  The trees and shrubs were alive with birds singing.  We had excellent views of Violet-green Swallow, California Quail, Lark and White Crowned Sparrows.  Perhaps most special of all were the Xantus’ Hummingbird, which showed their neon green throat feathers.  This species is endemic to the southern half of the Baja peninsula.  Flying above and perched in treetops were many Phainopepla, a type of silky-flycatcher, as well as the colorful Western Tanager, Hooded Oriole and Northern Cardinal.

At 9:00, we headed out to look for whales. A few of us had a brief view of a Dwarf Sperm Whale.  These small cetaceans, sit on the surface motionless while breathing, looking like a small dolphin at rest on the surface. They may not be the most exciting whales, but one can impress their friends with the sighting. Next Mike found some Bottlenose Dolphins, these guys like to jump and ride in the wake of the Spirit. We stayed with them for a while, photographing their amazing jumps, before we found some more Blue Whales.  There were five in the area and some were fluking while making deep dives to feed. Finely, we found a whale that was fluking repeatedly every time it dived at about eight minute intervals, just enough time to make some tea and use the bathroom between surfacing.  This was a magnificent Blue Whale that we saw exceptionally well, at one point swimming laterally just in front of us.

It was hot with the sun reflecting off the calm water, so we decided to cool off with a snorkel on the northeast side of San Jose Island. The water felt great and rocks provided good habitat for lots of reef fishes, while the sandy beach made getting in and out easy. At 4:30, we headed out for more whale watching.  We spotted a group of sea birds hovering over some Yellowtail Jacks that were feeding and quickly found a Masked Booby. There was lots of activity in the area, diving Brown Boobies and frigatebirds chased after baitfish being chased to the surface by the jacks from below. Mike found a Sailfish and we saw it come right down the port side. Next, we saw a Scalloped Hammerhead Shark and then we stopped to look at a Common Thresher Shark.  Although they are often seen leaping, rarely do they fin on the surface. We could see the dorsal fin high up out of the water followed by the long, thin tail fin. In a seemingly bizarre behavior, its tail would flop from side to side as it swam in circles in a resting behavior.  When hunting, these sharks use their tail like a whip to stun prey such as small sardines.

With all this life around and a glassy sea, something was bound to happen and to our surprise, Brian came around with fresh margaritas! This was the perfect recipe for some extreme whale sighting, like a beaked whale of sorts.  We had good views of a small whale with a large falcate fin far back on its body. Its color was a pale tan brown and one could see it had an obvious melon. There was a lot of discussion and reviewing of photographs we had taken.  Some of us “took the images to bed” after dinner and by the next morning, we determined that it was most probably a Longman’s Beaked Whale. Wow!  What an incredible day.

Day 11 Tuesday 8th April)

Sea of Cortez – Espiritu Santu Island

Our last full day in Baja was destined to be a long, rich one.  Under a spectacular pink and orange dawn sky, we left our anchorage at the south end of Isla San Jose.  With a calm sea, we motored over to a long pile of rounded volcanic rocks, Cayo Rocco. The early morning light was great for the photographers.  From our vantage point on the decks of the Spirit, we had great views of numerous gulls, frigatebirds and pelicans on the rocks.  Many of the latter were observed moving branches around in a nesting behavior that seemed oddly comical to some of us.

It was only a bit after 7:00 am and our waffle and bacon breakfast was still being cleared off when Mike’s voice over the PA speaker excitedly announced, “We have the real deal, two Killer Whales ahead.”  Some of us leisurely finished the meal while others bolted out the doors.  Nobody anticipated that we would be following the Orcas, a male and female for the next four and a half hours!      

Initially we were very happy just to see these dramatic animals, the largest member of the dolphin family, and get good photographic opportunities.  Perhaps it was the big male’s curiosity, his defensive prowess or the way Mike slowed our boat’s engines serving as an inducement for him to come closer.  Something worked incredibly well.  We watched with a mixture of awe and incredible excitement as the male swam directly at the Spirit, then down right along the side and then under the stern.  This 30-foot whale was only a few feet from us.

In the four hours that we moved south with the whales, we covered about twenty miles.  We were very lucky that the Orcas were going in the same direction as us otherwise we would have had a much shorter and less remarkable experience with them.  As we sat down to lunch, it was great to look at the photographs on the backs of our digital cameras and relive our extraordinary encounter.

We approached Los Islotes, an outcrop of volcanic rock that almost looks like a Hollywood set, at the northern end of Isla Espiritu Santu. Shortly after arriving, we went for skiff rides, observing roosting Brown and Blue-footed Boobies, Brown Pelicans, Brandt's Cormorants and hundreds of California Sea Lions.  Dozens of huge Magnificent Frigatebirds, looking like prehistoric Pterodactyls, constantly soared and glided above the cliffs.

The snorkelers had thrills swimming with the playful pinnipeds.  Like an underwater ballet, these sea lions spin and whirl around at speeds that can be hard to follow.  Being only a few feet from them in their own environment gave us a better appreciation for their efficient graceful movements.  There were many sardines that attracted larger fish like Yellowtail Jacks and a few Golden Grouper, a beautiful fish found only in the Sea of Cortez.

Once the skiffs were loaded back on the boat, we were off heading south again.  Off the south end of the island, we spotted a group of Smooth-tailed Mobula just where we have seen them previously.  We speculated that they congregate here in a mating activity. Whatever reason they were here did not seem to matter.  Of all the many animals we have seen on this wondrous cruise these jumping rays seem to elicit more laughs and smiles than any other. They would jump here and there and then stop. Then dozens would start again all at once.  It was like a competition, as if they were trying to fly, only to land on the water with a flop!

As the Spirit continued south, we enjoyed another of the spectacular sunsets that linger on and on that Baja is especially famous for.  Many of us thought our day was over, but we were wrong.  Mike’s voice came over the PA, “We’ve caught up with our Orcas again.”  There in the pinkish light were the distinctive huge dorsal fin of both the male Killer Whale and the smaller one of the female that we had seen before.

If there was any doubt that these were the same Orcas that we had seen in the morning, they were quickly dispelled after the male reversed his course and swam right at our bow, passing just below the excited group on deck.  This male was doing his best to make this a great Baja finale.  The photographers were entranced with the wonderful reflective yellow, blue and orange colors on the smooth waves to our starboard side.  The sun had just set behind the jagged island to our west and several of us fantasized and choreographed a scene with the Orca coming up in the middle of this spectacular composition.  Amazingly he did.  Not once, but twice.  We quickly realized that getting the great photo here was not the important thing.  Simply being in this place with this splendid whale and enjoying it with the WildWings group is what mattered most.

A Prime Rib dinner was the last of many wonderful meals we enjoyed on the Spirit.  We toasted the day’s great adventures and the remarkable journey that would soon be ending.

Day 12 (Wednesday 9th April)

Cabo San Lucas

We enjoyed calm seas at sunrise on our last morning on the Spirit.  Three Humpback Whales, including a mother and calf, were seen just before we motored by the dramatic granitic headlands at the tip of the Cape.

Our unique adventure filled with an incredible variety of wildlife had ended.  Most of the group headed to the airport to board flights home or to other destinations.  The memories of our rich experience will linger with us for long time.

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