Hello whalewatchers: We watched some humpback whales today that were very active– fluking and breaching. (Many thanks to Rob Nawojchik for the photo used here.) We went ashore at Los Frailes for a nice hike and finished the day with a snorkel there. Snorkelers reported seeing lots of fish. We’re heading up into the Sea of Cortez tonight to be in a area to snorkel with whale sharks.
Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew
Hello whalewatchers: We had a great morning here on the ocean off Bahia Magdalena. We saw a few masked boobies to start the day, and we found a juvenile humpback that was breaching, tail lobbing and flipper flapping right next to the boat for us. We watched that for a while and then found another humpback that breached once for us and then stopped. the weather is getting nicer and nicer down and we’re still looking around for wildlife
Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew
Hello whalewatchers: We are enjoying a very nice morning here in the lagoon. Our first two trips had great weather and everyone in the pangas had a friendly encounter with a whale. 
The wind has picked up here, but as I am typing this report, I hear the reports from the pangas. More great encounters! We’re hoping for a great afternoon.
Good afternoon! What a amazing day here in Laguna San Ignacio! We had contact with whales all day long. And we’re gonna try to do it again tomorrow!
Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew
Hello whalewatchers: We had a great day on San Benito Island and saw lots of elephant seals.
Passengers got to see humpback whales and a blue whale while they were walking on the island, and a sperm whale had washed up on the beach. Everyone had an opportunity to see all the whale’s features up close at this sad encounter. We left the island and then had great looks at a blue whale at very close distance. Lots of great photography this afternoon! We’re headed south to San Ignacio Lagoon tonight and will be there in the mid-morning. Wish us luck!
Capt Aaron and Searcher crew
The census workers counted 29 single and 88 mother/calf pairs on 3 March in Laguna San Ignacio for a total of 205 gray whales!
(Photo by Rob Nawojchik)
Hello whalewatchers: We’ve had very good birding this morning, including several laysan and black-footed albatross, sooty shearwaters, Bonaparte’s gulls, and common dolphin (both long- and short-beaked). We have some swell and a little wind so viewing was a bit difficult, but the weather seems to be getting better as the day goes on. Stay tuned for more action from our afternoon.
Capt Aaron and Searcher crew
For the afternoon: The weather is getting better and better! We had lots of common dolphin all day and had amazing looks at abatrosses. We did manage to find a blue whale but he was long-winded or left us behind as we only got to see the whale for a couple of breaths.
We’re headed to Islas San Benito island for a nice day on the island.
Capt Aaron and Searcher crew
The minke whale is the smallest baleen whale in the Baja region, reaching lengths of up to 29 feet (8.8m). We do not always see minke whales on our 12-day Natural History Tours to Baja, although that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Because of their small size they are not as visible from a distance compared to the larger whale species. The minke’s modest size also accounts for the lack of a visible blow under most conditions, adding to the difficulty of noticing them from afar. Most of the minke whales we see in Baja are single animals, once again making it tough to initially spot them (groups of whales are easier to see than single whales. Gray whales and humpback whales in Baja are sometimes seen in associations of two or more individuals).
Some of the minke whales we see ignore us and go about their business. Occasionally, however, we get a curious individual who circles the boat and gives us great views of the animal. If the water is calm, we can see detailed features of the whale. The traits described below will help you distinguish minke whales from other whales in Baja.
Size and shape of spout / blow: As noted, the minke whale does not usually produce a noticeable blow. In climates colder than Baja you are more likely to see the blow of a minke, as the cold air condenses the moisture in the exhalation (similar to seeing your breath on a cold winter’s day). Larger species of whales produce a visible blow regardless of local air temperature as the amount of water vapor in their massive exhalation is enough to produce a condensation cloud.
Size of animal: As mentioned, the minke whale is the smallest baleen whale in Baja and you are unlikely to confuse it with the larger baleen whale species. Among the toothed whales, the killer whale is comparable in size to the minke whale, and we do occasionally see killer whales on our trips. The minke and killer whales are easily distinguished using a variety of field characteristics (e.g., the black and white color markings on a killer whale are diagnostic).
Color: The minke whale is mostly dark gray, with some animals appearing black or dark brown, depending on individual variation and lighting. The underside of the whale is white. This “counter-shaded” color pattern (i.e., dark above, light below) is common in many open-water species, including many other cetaceans and most pelagic fishes (e.g., tuna, jacks, etc.). For identification purposes, the most important coloration feature is a white patch on both pectoral flippers, the only Baja whale with such a characteristic.
Dorsal fin: The dorsal fin of the minke whale has the classic curved “falcate” shape that we usually associate with whales and dolphins. This shape is in contrast to the lack of a dorsal fin in the gray whale and the hump-like dorsal fin of the humpback whale. The minke whale’s dorsal fin seems appropriately sized for the body, in contrast to the smaller-than-it-should-be dorsal fin of the blue whale or the dramatically over-sized dorsal fin of the male killer whale. Both Bryde’s and fin whales have dorsal fins similar in shape to that of the minke whale. Don’t let the dorsal fin fool you, as the Bryde’s and fin whales are significantly larger in body size than the minke whale. As always, account for individual variations in size and shape of the dorsal fin within a species.
Tail flukes: Minke whales almost never show their tail flukes when diving. If a curious minke circles the boat under calm conditions, we can sometimes get a good look at the flukes. The flukes are similar in shape to that of the blue whale (i.e., wide and tapered) but obviously scaled down in size.
Species-specific traits: The unique traits of the minke whale (as compared to other Baja baleen whales) are the relatively small body size and the white patches on the pectoral flippers. Also, the minke whale has a pointier snout than the other whales in its family (family Balaenopteridae, which includes the blue, fin, Bryde’s and humpback whales).
Behavior: The minke whale does not normally exhibit the demonstrative behaviors that we see from humpback whales. Minke whales are known to breach on occasion, but I’ve never seen a breach in over ten years of whale watching in Baja. One behavior I find distinctive of minke whales is the manner in which they surface for air. From what I’ve seen, minkes seem to “pop” to the surface at a relatively steep angle, such that the front of the head, including part of the lower jaw, breaks the surface. Plus, they seem to be at the surface for just a moment, less time than the other baleen whales.
Hello whalewatchers:
We had another beautiful weather day here and we started our morning by watching mobula rays jumping all around us. 
Then a blue whale swam by and we spent some time watching it. 
We also found some humpbacks and Risso’s dolphins, and a cow/calf pair dwarf sperm whale. We’ve had a great day, once again!
Capt Aaron and Searcher crew
Hello whalewatchers: We had another great day here on Searcher. Passengers had a nice walk on Isla San Jose island followed by a snorkel. After we got the anchor up and on our way,we found a pod of long-beaked common dolphins–around 450 in the group. The ocean was calm and we could actually see all the animals above and below the water. Then the boys on the roof spotted something different and we went that way. Those animals turned out to be Risso dolphins. They were logging, breaching and leaping all around. Then about 4 miles away was a group of sperm whales. There were about 30-40 animals and it was really good viewing for a couple of hours. 
There were three bottlenose dolphin in the same area and they were jumping around us, as we drifted listening to the sperm whales on the the hydrophone. Apparently a couple of humpbacks wanted our attention as well so they were breaching and tail lobbing off in the distance. Another wonderful thing were two adult and two baby Craveri’s murrelets on the water. We are headed to Isla Santa Catalina tonight and will be going ashore there tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Capt Aaron and Searcher crew
