With the dawn came a small breaching humpback whale soon followed by the surfacing of its massive mom. Over and over the calf made its leap, but progressively the breaches became less spectacular as fatigue set into the enthusiastic jumper. Two other calves jumped out as we made our way toward Land’s End. Golden light illuminated the high granitic cliffs and the famous rock arch that defines this place like no other.
The Estero at San José del Cabo has been transformed from an algal and trash-filled backwater into a superb marsh that the city can feel deeply proud of. Not only is it a gem to behold when seen crossing the bridge into town but its paved walkways are perfect for viewing the many aquatic birds. Although there were too many to list here, we spotted tricolored and little blue herons, black-crowned night herons, and white-faced ibises. Lesser scaup, ruddy ducks, blue-winged and cinnamon teal, and American wigeon paddled in the quiet water or rested on the shore. The best bird of the day was the Belding’s yellow-throat. This bird is not found in the United States, so it’s quite sought after by birders.
Those visiting San José del Cabo not only poked around in the shops but also visited a glass-blowing shop. The intense colors, beautiful forms, and bizarre techniques are fascinating to watch. Imagine blowing into a rolling tube while a gob of glass at the end expands like a shiny balloon.
After lunch we traveled east past numerous distant blows from humpback whales. Several groups of bottlenose dolphins passed, and a few hitched a ride on our bow wave. Far ahead, two humpbacks breached. They became our destination. Males from the Revillagigedo Islands farther south often pass through here as they make their way north. Breaches and other displays may be for a chance to gain access to a nearby female with her calf guarded by an escorting male. For whatever reason, we were in the perfect place to watch these two athletes take their 40-ton bodies and leap spectacularly into the air. Today’s daily expedition photo shows water streaming off the sides as one of the animals erupts from the calm surface. Later we found another group with four animals performing high-energy displays. One consistently leaped with high, arching chin breaches and was followed by another that surfaced with its mouth and throat distended with water. Two more came in closely behind. At first there was little fanfare, and then they all seemed energized and speeded up, sometimes executing chin breaches side-by-side. The water seemed to boil with the strokes of their powerful flukes. We were, of course, mesmerized by the activity. All of our guests and many crewmembers watched from the bow and along the rails as the whales passed quite close to our ship. This spectacular activity didn’t consume our afternoon it devoured it.
As the sun sank over the Sierra de la Laguna we had to finally start sailing for the gulf, but as cocktail hour started, hundreds of common dolphins approached the ship foraging on fish. The tiny bit of remaining light was enough to take stunning photos of these gorgeous animals at sunset.
