We steamed south in the Hull Canal today, returning to Magdalena Bay. Along the way, we spotted the following: a gray whale cow and calf, dolphins riding our bow wake, coyotes on shore and various birds in the mangroves and mudflats. In the afternoon, we made our final landing on one of the narrowest parts of the peninsula, a small isthmus. With a short walk across the sand dunes, we arrived at the Pacific Ocean. We spent time on Sand Dollar Beach, which takes its name from the immense amount of sand dollars along the shore.
3/20/2025
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National Geographic Venture
Magdalena Bay
Today we woke with the shining stars and took Zodiacs ashore to meet our coaches for a trip to Chale, a small town on the shores of Magdalena Bay. The goal was to find some wintering gray whales, magnificent leviathans which frequent this coast to give birth before the long migration back to their Arctic feeding grounds. These whales did not disappoint! Spyhopping, breaching, and even a bit of tail flukes. As a result, there were lots of smiles and laughter all around! We returned to the town for lunch and then headed back out on the local boats for a second round. As we returned to the ship, the sun set over La Paz, with glassy waters of gold in the harbor, and pink clouds above. The constellations of Orion, Taurus, and the Pleiades shone over our Zodiacs on our way back to dinner aboard National Geographic Venture .