Captain's Blog

Hello whalewatchers: Today we arrived at Islas San Benito and we were greeted by a juvenile humpback whale that did a half breach. Everyone was ashore early and had almost the whole day for a good hike. The weather was outstanding with sunny skies and a light breeze, just right for hiking. There were plenty of weaner elephant seals and just a few fur seals. Everyone had a great day. I went for my usual walk to the new lighthouse at the top of the island. The view was great.
We left the island, headed south and just before the sunset we spotted a blue whale. We spent about an hour with the whale.
More tomorrow from Laguna San Ignacio,
Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: This afternoon we managed to have some great sightings, starting with a short visit to Islas Todos Santos. All the usual suspects were there, northern elephant seal weaners (no females or males on the beach), plenty of harbor seals and the usual California sea lions hauled out on the rocks.  We also saw lots of black oystercatchers, a few pelagic cormorants, peregrine falcons with a surprise look at one hunting and capturing a morning dove right off the bow–what an impressive bird of prey!
We came across the” gray whale highway” before lunch, seeing several northbound whales including a group of 5 animals that we were able to follow for a while. A little further south we saw an area of 5 or 6 fin whales in a small area. We were able to get a good look at one whale and make a positive id with the lower right jaw being white. There were also some long-beaked common dolphin with a small group of short-beaked common dolphin as well. Late in the afternoon was great for the pelagic birds with several blackfooted albatross, a laysan albatross came close, and there were several northern fulmars, Xantus’ murrelets, red phalaropes, and black-vented, sooty and pink- footed shearwaters.
More tomorrow, Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: Our final day today was fantastic –great weather, sunny skies, warm temperature, calm seas. A perfect way to end our trip. We have seen bottlenose and common dolphin, dwarf sperm whales, jumping manta rays and enjoyed a great snorkel session at Los Islotes. The highlight there were commorants fishing underwater in a bait ball along with the sea lions, naturally. It was also a great day for Paul and Catherine Cottis — on their 25th wedding anniversary! Many blessings to them. We are heading to Cabo with hopes of seeing something in the next few hours of daylight to finish the trip.
Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: We had some beautiful weather today- no wind or swell. We took advantage of it in a big way. We could see for miles today and it paid off–11 blue whales, a Brydes whale, long-beaked common dolphin and a ton of birds. We spent lots of time with blue whales today ending the day with a great fluking whale and some lunge feeding as well. There were large areas of red plankton on the surface with bait fish and blue whales feeding on the same source. It just doesn’t get much better than this. Everyone enjoyed the common dolphin– a group of 500-700 animals with lots of calves and clean water to see them. The group alos enjoyed the hike this morning on Isla Catalina. There was great lighting early in the morning for photographing the cactus. We finished the day with margaritas, a buffet on the back deck and some awesome star gazing and bioluminecence travelling south. It was an  exceptional day that we truly deserved!
Looking forward to tomorrow, Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: We had a bumpy ride last night, but we arrived at Isla Espiritu Santo for the day and had some time in a calm spot. The Sea of Cortez is a wonderful place for anchorages, and fortunately we have a great boat that we can take anywhere with confidence knowing we are safe. Everyone had a great day with a nice walk, a good snorkel session and a skiff ride. We are finishing the day with a great sunset as only Baja can produce.
Team Searcher