We woke this morning off the north end of Isla San Jose, in the Gulf of California just north of the Bay of La Paz. Shortly after sunrise we had our first wildlife sighting, a beautiful red-billed tropicbird that flew over the bow of the Sea Lion. Wildlife continued as a theme for the morning, with sightings of several whales in the distance even before breakfast. First were brief glimpses of a small tropical species of baleen whale, the Bryde's whale, a cousin to the larger fin and blue whales which are also found in this area. We left the area of the Bryde's whale quickly, as a much larger blow was spotted on the horizon towards Isla Santa Cruz.

Most of the guests were almost finished eating breakfast when the call went out over the ship's PA, letting everyone know that the large blow in the distance came from the largest animal in the world, the blue whale! Over the next hour and a half we observed three different blue whales spread out over several miles in the area south of Isla Santa Cruz. The whales were elusive at first, taking dives as long as 15 minutes in an area as deep as 3,000 feet, frequently lifting their large flukes above the surface as they started these long dives. With luck and patience we had a wonderful view of the whales, with several surfacings close to the Sea Lion. Whatever was attracting the whales may have also been attracting other wildlife, as we had incredible views of several rays feeding near the surface off the bow. A wonderful way to begin our trip.