Jonathan Kingston, National Geographic Photography Expert
View all info
Daily Expedition
Reports
19 Oct 2018
Santa Rosa Island, California, 10/19/2018, National Geographic Sea Lion
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Lion
Channel Islands, California
We awoke to the gentle rocking of the ship, behind the protected northeast bluff of Santa Rosa Island. We were anchored in Becher’s Bay, speculated to have been misnamed after explorer Sir Edward Belcher on coast guard maps since the 1800s. After a delicious breakfast, hikers took to the shore along a variety of trails. The ambitious among us took the long route to have lunch in the shade of the Torrey Pine grove, several miles down the island. Another group marched up through Cherry Canyon to take in the beautiful vistas above the bluffs of the beach. At the landing beach, hikers were able to roam the old settlement, with a meticulously preserved one-room schoolhouse, bright red barn, and livestock paddocks. A quick dip in the aqua blue ocean along the sandy beach was the perfect treat after hiking in the warm sun.
After refueling ourselves with a delicious and hearty lunch, we pulled up anchor and headed to cruise along the northern shore of the islands. We were joined by several pods of common dolphins, who take much delight in riding on the wake of our bow. The ship also passed by thousands of pelagic cormorants flying close to the water’s surface, looking for a delicious meal. As we sipped our sangria and watched the sun set over the islands that we’ve explored over the past two days, we look forward to our next stop further to the south… Santa Catalina.
Ashley was raised in the high desert of Sedona, Arizona and escaped to the sea as soon as she was old enough. She developed a love for the oceans when she began scuba diving as a teenager and this has led to a career intertwined with the sea. Her sim...
A climber, diver and storyteller, Jonathan Kingston has traveled to some of the most remote corners of the world, documenting tribal life in India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, creating photogrammetric models of underwater archaeological sites and mor...
Our final day of this wild escape was spent within the National Park. With a break in the weather, we were able to land on two different islands. This morning was spent at Anacapa Island, the only island in the Channel Islands that has kept its original Chumash name, meaning “mirage”. We spent the morning choosing between Zodiac cruising around the island to check out the landscape or hiking ashore to see the seabirds up close. Santa Cruz Island, the largest of the Channel Islands, was a great place to spend the afternoon. Once again, we had options to both hike and Zodiac cruise. We spotted foxes, the endemic jay, and had a great end to a great trip exploring California’s Channel Islands!
Last night, after much deliberation by the captain and expedition leader, our ship returned to the Port of Los Angeles to avoid high seas and winds. We made the most of our day in the city by taking advantage of well-crafted excursion. In the morning, many guests enjoyed the Aquarium of the Pacific, while others toured the USS Iowa, and others went for hikes and tidepool adventures near the bluffs of Palos Verde. The highlight of the tidepool adventure was finding an octopus under a rock! We all returned to National Geographic Quest for a very informative presentation by National Geographic Expert in Geology, Kirt Kempter. After lunch, we had another round of options, with a majority of guests visiting the beautiful Huntington Gardens, others learning about the last 45,000 years of fossils found in the La Brea Tar Pits, and plenty of others choosing to hike a challenging trail in Palos Verde. Spirits were high when we set sail towards the Northern Channel Islands after dinner, and all were looking forward to a presentation from Tim Hatler.
Today was the first full day of our expedition and it was a fruitful and enjoyable learning experience. In the morning, guests chose between a variety of hikes or kayaking, and in the afternoon, we explored the rugged coastline by way of Zodiac. We loved the abundant birdlife and majestic landscapes we encountered on the hike up to a large hill overlooking the narrow isthmus of Catalina Island near Two Harbors. The highlights were seeing acorn woodpeckers, black-headed grosbeaks, California quails, orange-crowned warblers and spotted towhees. When we neared the top of the hill, although we were mostly inside a cloud, we caught a glimpse of a nearby male lazuli bunting which was a stunning color. In the afternoon, a highlight was seeing a bald eagle perched near the shoreline and two harbor seals hauled out on a rock covered in kelp. The vibe on board is great, and we look forward to the subsequent days exploring aboard National Geographic Quest .
