Captain's Blog

Hello whalewatchers:

We’ve had a great morning walk this at Punta Colorado on Isla San Jose with a red cliff sunrise, followed by a nice walk up the arroyo to check out all the desert plant life and birds.

Afternoon update:

Today was definitely “the day of the dolphin.” After our very large group of long-beaked common dolphin, we traveled north to find another group that was engaged in feeding. We used the hydrophone to hear the dolphin communicating. There were lots of frigatebirds and yellow-footed gulls getting in on the feeding as well.

We’re anchored in a calm spot for the night to go whalewatching in the morning and be at Santa Catalina island for the afternoon.

Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew

Hello whalewatchers!

We’ve had another fantastic morning here in the Sea of Cortez!  Everyone saw a whale shark or two when they went out snorkeling here in La Paz or even if they were just an observer.  We’re on our way looking for wildlife as it comes, and to be snorkeling with sea lions this afternoon at Los Islotes.
Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew

Sfter leaving whale sharks this afternoon, we headed north to the upper part of La Paz bay and en route we saw a blue whale, some bottlenose dolphin and even a turtle. Once we got to Los Islotes, the passengers went on a skiff ride around the small island where they got a treat of jumping mobula rays. After returning to the Searcher the snorkelers got to go swim with California sea lions and all kinds of fish. We’re headed up further into the Sea of Cortez to be at Punta Colorado on the eastern side of San Jose island.
Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew

Hello Whalewatchers!

It was a fantastic morning for whale watching. Our first encounter was with four humpbacks fluking and  coming to the surface very often for air.  In addition to our humpback friends, we also saw a striped marlin sunning itself on the surface as well as a hammer head shark! Shortly after, we had a second sighting of humpbacks, this time it was a group of three that came up under the boat, then showed us there flukes. The ocean is very calm today, and we’ve seen several turtles hanging out on the surface, like this little guy pictured on the right. We also spent some time with a breaching whale on the bow before heading off to Los Frailes for a walk along the shore and then a snorkel session.

The shore excursion was quite enjoyable, and there were many bird sightings. After a warm walk in the sun, the group went for a snorkel at the reef, where they saw a variety of fish. Throughout the afternoon there was a cow and calf humpback whale breaching close to the beach. We’re traveling up into the Sea of Cortez tonight, and our whalewatchers are excited to swim with the whale sharks in the morning.

– Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers:

This morning’s weather was very nice with little to no wind. We had lots of birds in good viewing condtions this morning including pink-footed shearwaters, Craveri’s murrelets, and red phalaropes, and some magnificent frigates. We also had a large pod of long-beaked common dolphin, and during the “dolphin show” a blue whale was spotted. So we spent some time with the blue whale as well. We are currently headed south in search of more wildlife.

Afternoon update:  We had a great afternoon looking around in calm seas! We had a chance to view a blue whale several times with really nice conditions. It was a very large animal and it even fluked for us.  A masked booby came to visit, along with a couple of pomarine jaegers.

Seas are still calm and we’re headed south to be around the Gorda Banks looking for more wildlife.  The forecast looks good for weather and we will take it.

Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew

Hello Whalewatchers!

We enjoyed a leisurely morning aboard the Searcher, and then headed off in two pangas before lunch. The first panga headed out to the mangroves, while the other went off in search of whales. In the mangroves, guests

In addition to the other sea life, we had a visit from some friendly bottlenose dolphins!

saw all sorts of shore birds; and our whalewatchers had two pairs of mother and calf whales. The weather was ideal for both excursions.

The weather held up nicely for our afternoon outings. While some of the group went whale watching, others enjoyed a beautiful walk on the beach. Again, our whalewatchers got the chance to get close enough to touch a whale while out on the pangas. We are headed out of Laguna San Ignacio, and are headed south to Bahia Magdalena Bay tomorrow to enjoy some offshore whale and sea life watching. The weather forecast looks great for tomorrow, and we are excited for another day of fun!

-Team Searcher

 

Hello Whalewatchers!

What a wonderful morning here in San Ignacio lagoon!  We’ve had two whale watching trips this morning filled with friendly and active whales. All of our whalewatchers were lucky enough to have touched a gray whale before heading back for a delicious lunch.  These photos are of a couple gray whales enjoying a swim alongside the Searcher.

In the afternoon there was a bit of wind, but that didn’t stop us from going out to pet some friendly gray whales.  We’re going be here again tomorrow for another great day in Laguna San Ignacio, enjoying all of the sea life this beautiful area has to offer.

Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: Everyone enjoyed a nice day on San Benito Island today. We had some breeze and a cloud cover, so it was perfect conditions for a walk–either a short one or getting around the entire island.  Passengers spotted Guadalupe fur seals, elephant seals and California sea lions, in addition to the nesting osprey and many of the island’s unique plants.

After leaving the island we encountered some long-beaked common dolphin that stayed with us awhile and rode the bow. We’ve seen an abundance of black-vented shearwaters, and Cassins auklets.

We are headed south to be at Laguna San Ignacio shortly after breakfast.

Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew

Tour #4 to Baja California is off and running! Team Searcher and naturalists Rob Nawojchik and Lee Morgan greeted guests while they got to know their new home and family for the next 12 days. Happy whalewatching!           Error 190: Invalid OAuth Access Token. Try using the admin panel to re-validate your plugin.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]