Gorda Banks and Cabo San Lucas
We awoke for a sunrise near Cabo Pulmo and cruised on to soon find the beginning of our whale-full day. A blue whale surfaced about a half mile in front of us. The sun was behind it, but the tall spout was enough to raise our expectations. The captain positioned the ship so we would have better lighting. A blue whale soon surfaced and we all had great views of the tall blow and bluish-gray back that seemed to pass through the water for many seconds before the tiny dorsal fin appeared. We were able to watch many dives as it swam in the same direction we were heading. There are more than 2000 to 3000 of these leviathans that feed in productive waters off California in summer and then pass Baja California to another area of upwelling offshore of Costa Rica during the winter. A few turn into the gulf where we often see them.
About an hour after breakfast as we neared Gorda Banks, a seamount just offshore, we spotted distant spouts of humpback whales. It has been said that the members of this species are the ambassadors of cetaceans. They are active at the surface, forcefully slap their flukes and pectoral fins against the water’s surface, jump almost clear of the water in breaches and compete aggressively for access to females. They even sing. We turned our hydrophone on to hear a few notes of a distant singer. The most exciting observations were four whales in two groups that were racing along together. One surfaced with water distending its throat and squirted water from the sides of its mouth. This display is probably used to make the animal appear larger. Females do not spend time together in wintering areas. Today’s photographs are of several interacting whales, one being rammed and one throwing its flukes high.
Our stop at San José del Cabo was filled with shopping and/or birds. Fortunately the city fathers have come to realize the beauty and value of a small wetland within the community. The birders among us had a productive and exciting time there, finding vermilion flycatchers, both kinds of yellowthroats, egrets, night herons, several fishing ospreys (including one that plunged into the water directly in front of us), red-tailed and zone-tailed hawks, northern harriers and six duck species, for a total of 48 species in our two-hour walk. Local people walked past us and enjoyed this jewel in their town as much as we did.
The time our guests spent shopping resulted more in an education about the items available to purchase in Mexico. Ethnic art from all over Mexico can be purchased here, such as beautiful embroidered blouses and jewelry with inlaid fire opals and amber. Many of our guests visited the municipal market where they sampled different types of molé that a few purchased for the trip home.
In late afternoon we continued cruising on a flat calm sea to Land’s End [where we drank margaritas on the bow and watched a green flash at sunset}. Although sounding like earth’s final days, this point is a group of granitic monoliths, arches and pinnacles that form the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. It is Cabo San Lucas’s most important landmark, known and remembered by people from all over the world. We poked around here with our nimble ship, turned the corner and headed north into the Pacific.
