We start with our Catamaran on the 15th of March 2014 at 12 a.m. from the harbor of La Paz in Baja California Sur in Mexico. 10 nature lovers are on board. We want to enjoy the ocean and its residents, want to leave all cares behind and unplug… because there, out on the ocean, is barely any mobile reception not to mention internet connection. So let’s go!
Slowly we are driving out of the bay with view to the waterfront of La Paz (the Malekon), heading towards the beautiful islands of Espiritu Santu. Just when we are out of the bay we see in the distance a Humpback whale jumping several times… unfortunately very far away but at least close enough to see what he is doing. Certainly 10 times he jumps consecutively completely out of the water. Then the rays start to jump too… why are they doing this? Joie de vivre? Parasites on their skin,… ? Anyway, the sight of the jumping Mobula (lat. Mobula thurstoni) delights us quite a lot. Then again a blow – for about 30 minutes we watch a Humpback whale, who is traveling in the same direction as we are.
We drive, passing by marvelous beaches, to our anchoring bay for this night.
The name of the bay is El Candelero and is beautiful! Sadly the wind freshens quite a lot. During the night the wind gets worse and worse and in the morning we realize, that we cannot leave this bay today. The wind became very strong and too strong for us to go out. Yet we lie protected and calm in the bay : caught in paradise!
While having breakfast we spot a dolphin in the bay. It is a small dolphin. One participant of our group has the heart to go into the water after watching the dolphin for some time. It takes a little but after a while the dolphin comes closer and shows extraordinary behavior:
He is circling at the ocean ground about 7-10m beneath us. Then he comes up to breath, descents again and makes circle after circle like he is in an imaginary arena. When emerging in order to breathe, he comes closer and closer. Sometimes pretty close. He even swims through Mana‘s legs. Bit by bit we are 4 swimmers in the water.
What a curious behavior. Why is he alone? For us it is difficult to tell what kind of dolphin he is. A Common dolphin – which can be met in the Sea of Cortez in thousands – is he definitely not. After about 2 hours he leaves the bay and swims his way.
Due to the fact that we assume that we will spend the whole day in this breathtaking bay, we are up for a shore leave. From the shore we have a great view of the green water in the lagoon and our ship, discover incredible stone formations, special plants, bluish shimmering lizards (lat. Petrosaurus thalassinus) and a hummingbird nest!!!
At the beach of our lagoon is a camp for kayak tours and we speak with the camp guard. He tells us, that a dolphin nearly stranded on the beach the previous day and that they could bring him back into the water. Presumably, it was the dolphin with whom we spent the morning.
We really hope that we could give him more reason to live!!?! For us he didn’t appear to be sick, just strange in his behavior (The analysis of our movie and picture material made that it was a Spinner dolphin). We know Spinner dolphins very well from our times in Hawaii – but to meet a single one here in the Sea of Cortez is very strange. Maybe he got lost and is looking for his fellows? Spinner dolphins are also listed for the Sea of Cortez but I have never met one before.
We leave all cares behind: relax, sleep, read, drive around with the Kayak, snorkel and try the Stand-up Paddleboard. Mana doesn’t pamper us only once, but now three times a day with the best and tastiest food.
Then heroes are born – our solar panel ruptures in a gust of wind but with a lot of patience our Marinero Josy and Captain Samyo are sewing it!!
On the morning of the 17.03. we leave our now very favored bay Candelero.
We drive towards the Isla de San Francisco. We encounter 2 young Finbacks, countless jumping rays and later we have the elegant Common dolphins riding in our bow wave.
We anchor in Mangale – a very beautiful anchoring spot – where the boat doesn’t even move! It is incredibly calm. Somehow something is even missing when the boat is not moving anymore.
On the 18.03. the rays are jumping and swimming very close to the boat and at around 11 a.m. we encounter 4-5 Sperm whales. Actually we see them anywhere! One is coming with a distance of about 5 meters alongside to the boat and dives down, showing his fluke. At 12 a.m. we meet Humpback whales – one jumps completely out of the water close to our boat. Afterwards we encounter further Sperm whales – today is Sperm whale day.
It is easy to recognize them because of their blow which is tending a bit to the left front. We anchor in Puerto Gato, unfortunately the ocean is not so quiet and we are all lye comfortable in our berths early.
It is calming down over night and we are waking up nicely on the 19.03.. Today we have a birthday boy on board and the day starts with a dreamlike sunrise – lightshow.
The light in the Baja must be experienced in person. Words cannot express the magic of the sunrises and –sets. There is an allurement in the air and on the water…
Then Bottlenose dolphins are passing by. We meet some See lions and about 500 Common dolphins – here in the Baja they are the kind with the Longsnouted. At 10.30 a.m. there are some Humpback whales and again we meet a huge pod of Common dolphins. The ocean is seething! After this fulfilled day we anchor in Puerto Balandra and enjoy a very calm night. The moon is going its way. The ocean is full of bioluminescence – hence: with movement, the ocean is glowing as beautiful as the sparkling starry sky.
20.03. As on nearly every morning we start our tour already at about 7 a.m. Even though we do not have an aim to reach. We just want to be out on the ocean and be there, when whales or dolphins are passing by. Of course we also wish to see a Blue whale! Are they still in the Sea of Cortez? It is an “El Niño year“ – this means, that the north wind, who is responsible for the mineral nutrients in the Sea of Cortez, hence for the productivity of nutritive substance in the water and the Krill, didn’t come.
Just after we started, we have Bottlenose dolphins in our bow wave. Later, 2 – 3 Humpback whales emerge close to the boat. At 11.15 a.m. we encounter again a big pod of Common dolphins. It’s impossible to get enough of those elegant and spry animals. The ocean is seething once again.
Finally! We see an incredibly big, high blow … we are heading towards it, waiting a long time in the area but unfortunately we cannot find the equivalent animal. But then we are again exactly at this place on earth where the Humpback whales and rays are jumping. Again such a damn great day in paradise! The faces of our participants are getting more and more relaxed.
At the 20.03. we encounter dolphins even BEFORE breakfast – amazing, in the bow wave of the boat, about 30-40 Common dolphins are swimming with us and are taking the one or other chance to gaze at us! Until 12.40h we are surrounded without cease by dolphins! Paradise madness.
On midday we allow ourselves a midday break at another great beach. We swim, kayak and stand-up paddle to the shore. Walk or jog at the beach, are looking for beautiful shells, discover an old tortoiseshell, tiny desert flowers and interesting rock formations.
22.03. The ocean is again as calm as a mountain lake this morning. Soon we meet a Humpback whale mother with her calve. She is lying directly in front of us with her baby. No other boat, the engine is stoppend. Absolute silence. Joyous excitement is in the air. We hear their breaths. Then they dive down, leaving behind a dense silence. These are the most beautiful moments – the tense attention and alertness of the waiting – where could the whales emerge again… several minutes are passing. Time stands still – until the baby Humpback whale comes up, directly in the bow at the starboard, swims alongside and appears once again close to the boat. Underneath the calf we see the mother. WOW!
23.03. The whole day the rays are jumping far and wide. However, today neither whales nor dolphins are cropping up. Slowly we all realize, that we presumably won’t be granted with a Blue whale this year.
I love our participants for their ability to take the nature as it comes and to enjoy the gifts we have already received numerously!
Also without whales we have a great time on the ocean – the rays are jumping the whole day – we are on the lookout for our swimming friends, enjoying the sweet idleness and the culinarian highlights on board.
This morning we went swimming with the cheekily see lions. They can be very daunting while swimming quite fast towards one or nibbling on our flippers.
We drive to our nocturnal bay and anchor. Before sunset we can make it to paddle around with the kayak or with the Stand-up Paddle and to pass by the rocks which the pelicans call their home and on which egrets are breeding. Again it is an aureate sunset. The dinner is extremely tasty and the warm words in the farewell talking are very touching. Unbelievable that we will disembark tomorrow…
24.03. It is nearly impossible for our participants to stay in their berths while nature is preparing the colorful mutational spectacle. We are hardly out of the bay when we encounter several dolphins. It is again a beautiful morning – our last one. Soon we will return to the harbor of La Paz. On our way we see in some distance a jumping whale – it can only be a Humpback whale. And really, while coming closer we can see that there are two Humpback whales. Are they two males in action or is it an imposing courtship behavior? I reckon the latter. What a show!
One of the animals is repeatedly jumping out of the water with his full body and the other just continues to swim further, turns from time to time on the side and protrudes his pectoral fins (these are after all 4-5 meters long, about 1/3 of the total size of the animal) high in the air. In between he or she is hitting the surface time and again with the fins. We are all pleased and frolic. We are jumping of enthusiasm of this imposing view, gratify life and the fact, that we are gifted at the end of our journey again and that we are at the right time at the right place! Now the journey is really brought to a round figure! It was magic. Thank you very much!
