Trip Reports

Hello whalewatchers: We started our trip with a rare San Diego rain storm! In some rolling seas, we mortored to Ensenada to clear Mexican customs. Then we went to Islas Todos Santos in better weather for a look at some pinnipeds, comorants, brown pelicans and oystercatchers. The island is very green with the recent rains.
We saw plenty of gray whales heading north, and some groups of whales were exhibiting mating behaviors. Everyone had a good look at gray whales today. As for pelagic birds, we found some black-vented shearwaters, Cassins auklets, Scripps murrelets and northern fulmars.
All in all it was a good day with much better weather than last night.
Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: We woke up to a great sunset and flat calm seas, then organized a great trip into the mangroves at Isla San Jose. We found more dolphins on the way to Los Islotes for a snorkel session with sea lions. Everyone enjoyed the fun snorkeling with them. We headed offshore for a final look at a whale and added a new species with two Bryde’s whales. What a great trip for sightings and weather!
Team Searcher

I received a phone call today with the news of loads of blue whales! They left anchor near Isla Carmen this morning and found lots of blue whales. All is well still and I am sure to get another quick call on Tuesday evening.

Hello whalewatchers: We are enjoying one of the best days watching humpback whales in a few years! You can look in any direction today and see a whale on the surface. And at one point you could see a whale breaching in any direction. We’ve witnessed all the classic behaviors almost all day including tail-lobbing, flipper-flapping, adults breaching and calves breaching. It was remarkable! Here’s a sample: http://youtu.be/oAk7QKlpD4w?list=UUtoQBhyrjFCsrxIME7FFE2w

Hello whalewatchers: We woke up to great conditions this morning! Calm seas are always welcome here. We have had lots to look at thus far today–humpback whales, common dolphins and lots of sea bird life, inlcuding black-vented shearwaters, Bonapartes and California gulls. One of the special things to see when it is this calm is sea turtles. We have seen at least 100 so far.
Today’s picture is of a humpback whale dorsal hump up-close next to the Searcher.
Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: We have had a wonderful visit in Laguna San Ignacio with great weather, lots and lots of whales, and plenty of close encounters. There are certainly a lot of mothers and calves here, and the census shows more than year’s past. Today’s picture is of a single whale close to Searcher.
Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: Our weather is great with calm conditions as we enter Laguna San Ignacio. There are plenty of whales in the entrance and even more as we travel to our anchorage in the observation zone. The latest census is 85 cows with calves and 120 single adults–lots of whales and quite a few more calves than usual.
The first panga went out and only had to travel 100 feet and they had a close encounter with a cow and calf. Wow!
The same for the next two pangas. I’m seeing lots of smiles as the pangas returned from the first trip.
Today’s photo of a tail fluke next to Searcher.
Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: We enjoyed a great day at Islas San Benito. There are plenty of northern elephant seals, with all the behaviors you would expect at this time of year–mating, males  fighting over their harems, and females nursing pups. Guadalupe fur seals were in their usual spot this trip, and ospreys as well. To go along with all the wildlife, the island is in bloom with lots of island mallow, ice plant, Agave, Encelia and the Mammilaria cactus too. We are headed south to Laguna San Ignacio, arriving after breakfast.
Today’s photo is San Benito village from Searcher.
Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: We had a very productive morning with good sightings of gray whales both north- and south-bound. We also found multiple humpbacks and some were breaching close to the boat. Then we found some common dolphin and a few Pacific white sided dolphin as we exited Ensenada harbor.
Islas Todos Santos is very green and there are still some northern elephant seals on the beach. The pups are bigger and the count was 14 animals. There were also a few harbor seals and sea lions. The brown pelican colony is thriving with hundreds of birds on the nest and in breeding plumage.
Team Searcher