Happy Holidays from Baja!

One of the highlights from our Christmas Cruise was the abundance of wildlife!  We took Christmas morning and visited these sealions resting/barking on the rocks.  We were able to go snorkling with them at a distance.  The sealions can be pretty curious.  They come right up to check you out, maybe even a little nibble on your fin!  They eat a lot of fish and lounge on the rocks all day.

Bow-Riding~ Many cetaceans, especially dolphins, frequently ride the bow waves of boats and ships. They jostle for the best position, where they can be pushed along in the water by the force of the wave.  Some smaller cetaceans ride the bow waves of large whales in exactly the say way! Wow!

A Blowfish on the beach.  When these guys are threatened they blow up as big as a soccerball! 

A rare sighting, Pilot Whales!

Pilot Whale~There are a few different types of Pilot Whales and all are pretty similar.  The ones we have seen down here in Baja are the short finned Pilot Whale.  You can distinctly describe their tail as a wizards cap.  They travel in pods sometimes miles across.  Even though they are named a whale, they are in the Dolphin family, sometimes found in the company of them.  They are jet black or dark grey in color, with a rounded, bulbous head.  These whales have teeth. Fourteen to eighteen teeth are found on both the top and bottom.  You can see these Pilot Whales off the coast of Delaware in the Atlantic as well, although it is usually from a boat offshore. 

Bottlenose Dolphin~ The Bottlenose Dolphin varies greatly in size, shape, and color form one dolphin to the next. Dolphins are highly active on the surface; frequently bow-rides, wake-rides, body-surfs, rides pressure wakes, and breaches.  Dolphins are a very powerful swimmer.  You can find the Bottlenose Dolphin in all parts of the world except the far North. Dolphins have anywhere from 40-52 top teeth and 36-48 lower ones.  They use these teeth to feed on squid, octopus, fish, krill, or other crustaceans.  Their diet is kind of  like a great big sushi dinner!

 

Positioning the ship from San Francisco to La Paz, Mexico

 Good Morning everyone and welcome to the National Geographic Motor Vessel Sea Bird.  We are an expedition vessel, meaning we conduct exploratory and adventure travel to remote locations. We are fully equipted with zodiacs for shallow water cruising, kayaks, and snorkle masks.  Thats my kind of cruise!  Even though I will be working here for the next few months, I plan on accessing some of the fun adventures this ship has to offer!

152 feet long

63   passengers

24   crew

Leaving San Farncisco Dec. 3rd Brrrrrrrr

We travelled South down the Pacific Coast of the Baja Penninsula, rounding the point at the very southern end, called Lands End, better known as Cabo San Lucas, and eventually turning North into the Gulf of California/Sea of Cortez.  Our final destination was the coastal town of La Paz on Dec 8th.

Baby Loggerheads swim freely in the tank.

Checkout how much bigger Loggerhead Turtles are than     our local resident, the Diamondback Terrapin!

Adult Loggerhead