We started a beautiful day sailing along the east side of the peninsula off Los Frailes, after having crossed the Tropic of Cancer during the night. The morning was sunny and warm, as mornings in the tropics are supposed to be, and the waters around us were calm and inviting. We spotted several Mobula rays jumping high into the air and some sea turtles basking on the surface. But a couple of blows quickly grabbed our attention: a female humpback whale with her baby! They were the first of numerous humpbacks that we encountered throughout the day. The region around the southern tip of the peninsula of Baja California is a well-known breeding and calving area for humpback whales and a great number of them arrive here during the winter and early spring months. Today we watched whales doing all kinds of interesting behaviors and aerial displays, including pectoral fin splashing, breaching, and groups of surface-active males. Humpback whales were heavily hunted during the modern-era of whaling during the 1900’s and their numbers dropped dramatically; however, after several decades of protection, their populations in the North Pacific and elsewhere are increasing and now numerous whales make the delights of whale-watchers off Hawaii, Mexico, and other places.
After lunch, the National Geographic Sea Bird entered the new marina at Puerto Los Cabos, located a few miles East of San Jose del Cabo. We disembarked and boarded a couple of motor coaches to go exploring town and bird watching. San Jose del Cabo was originally founded in the early 1700’s and today was celebrating its saint patron, Saint Joseph; parades, musicians playing on the streets, and stands of food were part of the festivities and made for some interesting photo opportunities. Meanwhile, birders went to the San Jose River, were great egrets, blue-winged teals, pied-billed grebes, double-crested cormorants, and Belding’s yellowthroats were some of the birds observed.
We arrived to the southern tip of the peninsula during sunset to see the iconic granite arch at Land’s End in Cabo San Lucas while drinking margaritas on deck. We eventually crossed the imaginary line that divides the Sea of Cortez from the open Pacific and headed North towards Magdalena Bay, where new adventures await us.
