2023 Baja Whalewatching Tour #2 Isla San Francisco (March 3)

Mar 3

Hello whalewatchers:

We woke up at the northern end of Isla San Jose this morning and picked up the anchor just before sunrise.  We started south down the San Jose Channel.  We did see a couple humpbacks, but the wind and swell were still up meaning that we couldn’t really stop for a look.  Shortly after breakfast we put everybody ashore near the mangroves at the southern end of San Jose.
Just before breakfast we picked up the anchor and saw a approximately 1-year old humpback in the shallows at the northern end of Isla San Francisco which we got some excellent looks at.  We stayed with it for about a hour before proceeding to the southern anchorage on Isla San Francisco.  The folks went for a hike and a snorkel this afternoon.
Then it was margarita time and our favorite dinner–the back deck BBQ.  The weather has come down considerably. We’ll be snorkeling with the sea lions first thing in the morning tomorrow.
Captain Mike and the boys
2023-03-04T19:59:15-08:00March 4th, 2023|Trip Reports|

2023 Baja Whalewatching Tour #2 Sea of Cortez (March 2)

Mar 2

Hello whalewatchers:

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise at Bahia Tambobiche this morning. Passengers went for a walk around the lagoon right after breakfast.  As soon as they came back to the boat, the wind started howling so snorkeling wasn’t an option.
We moved up the peninsula a couple miles to Puerto Gato for a hike or a snorkel.  After lunch, the wind was really blowing and the sea was very choppy.  We started down the San Jose channel and tucked into one of our favorite spots on the NW end of San Jose for the night.

We’re headed down the channel in the morning.

Captain Mike and the boys
2023-03-04T06:42:37-08:00March 4th, 2023|Trip Reports|

2023 Baja Whalewatching Tour #2 Isla San Jose (March 1)

Mar 1

Hello whalewatchers:

We arrived at Punta Colorado just in time for sunrise this morning.  The folks went for a hike right after breakfast then a snorkel under the cliff. We took off right before lunch and right away got on a nice spot of bottlenose dolphin milling around.
Then we proceeded north further into the gulf.  We didn’t see a whole lot until about 4pm when the ocean came to life and all of a sudden we were surrounded by blue whales.  We were with the blue whales for about a half hour when one started lunge feeding right in front of us. Soon they were all feeding.  I counted 8 blue whales that we saw today.
We’re anchored at Tambobiche right now and will go for a bird walk in the morning.  Beautiful weather today.
Captain Mike and the boys
2023-03-04T06:26:31-08:00March 3rd, 2023|Trip Reports|

2023 Baja Whalewatching Tour #2 Offshore Cabo San Lucas (February 28)

Feb 28

Hello whalewatchers:

We arrived at the Gorda Banks offshore Cabo San Lucas around breakfast time.  We were welcomed by multiple groups of humpbacks including some mother/calf with escort groups.  One calf was only a couple weeks old. We observed them around for a hour or so before moving on to a various other groups.

The wind came up mid morning making it difficult to work, however we did watch a breaching mother/calf pair before we had to move on.  We ended the day going for a swim at Punta Arena.

We are headed to Punta Colorado tomorrow on Isla San Jose.

Captain Mike and the boys

2023-03-02T08:37:45-08:00March 2nd, 2023|Trip Reports|

2023 Baja Whalewatching Tour #2 Offshore Bahia Magdalena (February 27)

Feb 25

Hello whalewatchers:

We woke up this morning just above Lazarro, the most western point on Isla Magdelena.  We started seeing single humbacks with the sunrise and a little bit of bird life.  It has been breezy and choppy all day so the conditions are not ideal.  However we did spot our first blue whale of the year just above the main entrance to Bahia Magdelena.  I and the guys in the mast got a good look at it through the binoculars and were able to identify it, however the folks on the main deck level were only able to see the tall spouts being knocked down by the breeze.  After a few breaths it vanished to the depths and we never saw it again.  We spent about a hour trying to re locate it and never did.

After that we got into an area of frisky humpbacks that were jumping around and put on quite the show. They were headed north into the wind and seas.  We spent about a hour with them before continuing on our journey south. We finished with a large pod of common dolphins this evening.

We’re headed for the Gordo Banks, east of Cabo San Lucas now.

Captain Mike and the boys

2023-02-27T19:54:21-08:00February 27th, 2023|Trip Reports|

2023 Baja Whalewatching Tour #2 Laguna San Ignacio (February 26)

Feb 25

Hello whalewatchers:

We had a great day in San Ignacio Lagoon today. Starting this morning we had a mother and calf pair hanging around the boat, waiting for the folks to get in the pangas.  As soon as they did, the whales came right to them.  The pair hung around the boat all day and everyone who wanted to touch them did.  They were quite eager.  We got across the sandbar this evening around 5pm and are headed for Bahia Magdalena.

Captain Mike and the boys

2023-02-27T07:27:22-08:00February 27th, 2023|Trip Reports|

2023 Baja Whalewatching Tour #2 Laguna San Ignacio (February 25)

Feb 25

Hello whalewatchers:

We arrived at the entrance to Laguna San Ignacio at about 8am and were greeted by numerous gray whales and common dolphin outside the entrance.  We arrived at our anchorage at approximately 9:30 and sent everyone on their first whalewatch excursion.  There are a lot more whales in the lagoon since last time we were here 10 days ago.  The folks had a lovely day despite a little afternoon breeze. We’re hoping for some of the same tomorrow.

Captain Mike and the boys

p.s. Chef Josh prepared a delicious chicken (or eggplant) dinner after this great day with the whales. Tonight’s waiter was Captain Kenny!

2023-02-26T07:07:14-08:00February 26th, 2023|Trip Reports|

2023 Baja Whalewatching Tour #2 Offshore Ensenada and Islas San Benito (February 23-24)

Feb 23

We were delayed a few hours in Ensenada this morning due to weather, but we got underway safely.  We saw a large pod of short-beaked common dolphin as we were leaving Bahia Todos Santos. Throughout the day we saw a few humpbacks and gray whales at a distance, along with a few black-footed albatross. We will be at San Benito some time around 11am.

Captain Mike and the boys

Feb 24

Hello whalewatchers:

We arrived just before 11am at San Benito and got everyone ashore by noon.  The folks were greeted by a large male elephant seal on the beach.  They did an hike over to the fur seal colony and we were off at about 3pm.  We were isntantly greated by a large pod of common dolphins which numbered somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 dolphins.

While we were watching the dolphins, we started seeing whale spouts and turned around and got into an area of feeding fin whales. We stayed with a pair for about 45 min before continuing on.  We immediately spotted a large area of pilot whales which put on a good show. We stayed with them for about a hour.  A couple of fin whales joined in with the pilot whales, making for a great finale for the day.

We’re headed for Laguna San Ignacio now.

Captain Mike and the boys

2023-02-25T06:15:50-08:00February 25th, 2023|Trip Reports|

Go to Top