We woke up this morning anchored in Bahia Magdalena. As we were doing our morning stretch class on the sundeck, we witnessed the sun rising in the east within a few minutes of the moon setting in the west. With the full moon, we experience extreme high and low tide throughout the day.
After breakfast, we boarded the expedition landing craft and headed to the shore for our morning exploration on Isla de Magdalena. The sand was soft and felt good on our bare feet.
Isla de Magdalena stretches out over 60 miles protecting the bay from the wild Pacific Ocean. We eagerly walked across the island to reach Bahia Santa Maria, where sand dollars and other shells collect upon one of the most beautiful beach on the Pacific Coast.
With the tide coming in strong, waves upon waves were forming and crashing upon the shore. Some of us jumped in the ocean, exhilarated with the joy of feeling alive on this pristine island. As we walked along the shore, we came across a coyote that approached us, showing no fear or concern, simply being curious about us.
As we returned to the ship, our local pilot, Alejandro Camacho came aboard to navigate the shallow waterway, on our transit north through the Hull Canal. The canal is lined with mangroves that provide the perfect habitat for many species of shorebirds such as brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds, double-crested cormorant, great blue heron, and ospreys.
We had our first sighting of gray whales as we observed a few pairs of mothers and babies swimming against the current.
In the mid-afternoon, we anchored in Los Titeres, close to the Boca de Soledad. This is going to be our home for the next couple of days, spending time observing and learning more about the gray whales that spend their winters in the protected bay where they give birth and mate.
