Monthly Archives: March 2022

Hello whalewatchers:

We woke up at Tombobiche this morning in calm weather. We got everyone ashore for a walk around the lagoon. After the walk we went for a snorkel on the point and took off south for Nopolo.

On our way south we ran into a manta ray migration. There were thousands of them as far as you could see in every direction. We pulled into Nopolo at around 3:30 and sent everyone ashore again in search of the Xantus hummingbird and other land birds that reside in the mangroves.

We had our back deck BBQ there and took off for Isla San Francisco at around 9pm.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers:

We woke up to a picturesque Sea of Cortez sunrise. After a nice hike and a snorkel we travelled north up the east side of Isla San Jose. We didn’t have to go far.  We started seeing Blue Whales right away. We saw two mother and calf pairs, followed by multiple pairs and singles.  We had a fluking whale as well that popped up a couple hundred feet from the stern, swam around the boat, then fluked right off the bow. Quite the day for blue whales here!

We anchored at Tambobiche bay for dinner and the evening.  We’re going to go for a walk around the lagoon for some birdwatching then do a snorkel and take off south around lunchtime.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Punta Colorado, Isla San Jose (photo from Trip #1 by Gillian C)

Hello whalewatchers:

We had another great day here in Sea of Cortez. We started with a whaleshark snorkel in the morning. The swimmers and observers got some good looks at multiple animals here in Bahia La Paz.  Then we travelled north and checked out the frigatebird colony on Isla Espiritu Santu for lunch.

We finished the day with a skiff ride and a snorkel around Los Islotes. The sea lions were very playful this afternoon and entertained the snorkelers.  We are going to go ashore in the morning at Punta Colorado on Isla San Jose.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers:

We rounded the Cape (at Los Cabo) around 5am  and headed for the Gorda Bank.  When the sun came up we were greeted by a large number of humpbacks. We got on a group of 4 or 5 and they hung out around the boat for 30 mins. The next thing you know we were surrounded again. In the group was an excited calf. We had multiple breaches close to the boat and lots of good looks because of this calf!

We left around lunchtime for Punta Arena.  There was a little chop but we tucked in tight to the beach and everyone got a chance to try out their snorkel gear and go for a beach watch. All of this was topped off with a beautiful sunset.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers:

What a day today!

Once we got south of the entrance to Bahia Magdelena, we spotted some tall spouts out to the southwest.  Once we got closer we could tell right away that the one we were pointed at was a blue whale.  Next thing you know we were surrounded by we what think were 4-6 blue whales milling around.  We got a few good looks at a single and a pair.  The conditions were not ideal so after a hour and a half, we broke off and kept traveling south.

We spotted another blue whale 20 miles south and this one was much easier to work with. We had good looks from a hundred or so yards away on the surface and right under the surface.

We also spotted some common dolphin and humpbacks throughout the day to go with our albatross, masked boobies and Sabine’s gulls and many more seabirds.  We will be on the Gorda Banks offshore Cabo San Lucas tomorrow.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers:

Nice weather and good whalewatching again today in Laguna San Ignacio. Not as many friendly whales today but still plenty of good looks.  We made a trip to the mangroves this morning for birdwatching and did a beach walk this afternoon.
We took off at around 4:30 p.m. and are across the entrance sandbars and are headed south for Bahia Magdalena.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers:

We got across the sandbar (at the entrance to Laguna San Ignacio) this morning successfully around 7:30am and were greeted by an abundance of gray whales.  We got the anchor down shortly after and sent everyone out in the pangas–a very good day of whalewatching! Everyone got a an opportunity to touch a whale today. All smiles here!

We’re hanging out tonight hoping for some more of that tomorrow.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers:

We had a little bit of breeze this morning sliding into Isla San Benito, however it decreased dramatically throughout the day. There were plenty of pinipeds on the beaches and rocks around the island: elephant seals, California sea lions and Guadalupe fur seals.

We left the islands after our hike at around 2 p.m in search of wildlife. We found some humpbacks that were not too easy to observe, and medium herd of common dolphin. We enjoyed some great birding to as well.

We are headed for Laguna San Ignacio right now and will be crossing the bar first thing in the morning.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Searcher at anchor from the trail at Isla San Benito Oeste

Hello whalewatchers:

We departed Ensenada this morning and were greeted with calm seas and an abundance of gray whales as soon as we passed Isla Todos Santos.  We had something to look at for the majority of the day.  After the gray whales we came upon a few spots of common dolphin and Pacific white-sided dolphins (attached photo from a previous year thanks to Rob Nawojchik).  Later in the day we watched a pair of humpback whales, and right before the sun went down we followed a pair of fin whales.

There were lots of shearwaters, gulls and some albatross to keep the birders busy.  We will be arriving at Islas San Benito in the morning.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Gray whale fluke by Rob Nawojchik. Taken in Laguna San Ignacio.

Hello whalewatchers:
It was an exciting day for our whale watchers since many had waited two years to make this journey to Baja California! Wishing them wonderful wildlife sightings.

We’ll post about their tour here as they migrate south.

Team Searcher