Our first full day together exploring the beautiful Sea of Cortez couldn’t have been better. Shortly after having watched a colorful sunrise over Danzante Island, National Geographic Venture delved deeper into the waters of the Loreto Bay National Park. The park was established in 1995 by the Mexican government to protect the very productive waters around Five Island, a well-known area for whales and dolphins, and today’s exploration didn’t disappoint. We watched not one or two, but five different cetacean species during the morning, starting with a solitary fin whale, followed by blue whales before breakfast! A Bryde’s whale, a few humpbacks, and more blues rounded out the number of baleen whales, while a pod of killer whales started the trip’s count of toothed whales.
We went ashore in the afternoon at Puerto Gatos, a beautiful little bay just south of the national park where we snorkeled, hiked, and had a great time experiencing the magic of the Baja California peninsula. What an awesome first day!
