“Come forth into the light of things; let nature be your teacher.” —William Wordsworth
We awakened early this morning aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird to dark skies for our first scheduled outing: sunrise from the beach. As dawn broke, Zodiacs zipped about half the people from ship to shore, legs swung over the sides of the pontoon, and bare- and sandaled-feet met refreshing waters and silky-fine sand. The sun remained shy behind the clouds…perhaps not what we had hoped for, but not atypical for this region, and a reminder that no matter what our intentions, nature is in charge. Cameras in hand, day 1 of our photo expedition had officially begun.
While we ate breakfast the sun burned through the clouds to reveal brilliant blue sky, and we spent the morning exploring Isla Magdalena. Traversing the crusty lowlands and wind-swept sand dunes, eyes feasted on the dramatic geometric patterns, half-buried ancient shell middens, and the many signs of life where desert meets the sea… bones and shells and tracks of creatures, and flourishing plant life from the abundant rains of late fall/early winter. Walks brought us to the far side of this narrow island, Sand Dollar Beach, a gorgeous expanse of Pacific Ocean and shoreline.
Back aboard we began our long cruise northward towards San Ignacio, relaxing and searching the waters along the way for marine life. Mid-afternoon rewarded scanning eyes with… a blue whale! The second mate slowed the ship and we got wonderfully close looks at this magnificent creature, the largest animal on the planet. We finished the afternoon with preparations for the coming days: a photography discussion and camera workshop sessions, and a talk on gray whales. We are battening down the hatches for the evening’s continued journey north, in anticipation for time with gray whales.
