Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Bahia Concepcion





 Overnight we traveled north, back past Loreto. We were still underway when we awoke this morning, heading for the sheltered Bahia Conception. The winds had abated some, but it was still a lot warmer in the sun than the shade when out on deck looking for wildlife.  As we approached Isla San Ildefonso we saw a great variety of seabirds. It was fun to be in the “so many that I don’t know where to look” situation. 

Once past the island the quantity of birds decreased.  The avid birders stayed on the bow deck anyway. Shortly after breakfast, three whale spouts were seen ahead of us. It was hard to judge the spouts’ sizes as the wind rapidly dispersed them, but they were fairly dense clouds.  As we got closer, we began to see the backs of the whales— brown and staying at the surface quite a while. Then dorsal fins… yes it turned out to be a large pod of sperm whales, all around the ship!  We were again in the “where do I look next” situation! 


Sperm whales breed in the Gulf of California, where the females and calves stay most of the year. However, their presence depends heavily on the health and availability of Humboldt Squid. Our naturalists, who travel these waters regularly, had not seen Sperm Whales, let alone a pod of them, in several years. Sperm whales were once highly prized not only for the kinds of whale oil that used for lighting, but for a second type of oil from the spermiceti gland in their heads. This special oil was so fine and robust that it was used as the lubricant in Swiss watch mechanisms until the 1960s.  Sperm Whales are unique in that their blowhole is not in the center of the head, but off to the left side. 


As we entered Bahia Conception, a 25-mile long sheltered bay on the peninsular mainland, we were greeted first by flocks of sea birds, and then by a pod of more than 60 common dolphins. The dolphins and the seabirds were having a joint feast ahead of us. The dolphins headed towards us, some continuing past us while others  peeled off to bow run and ride in our wake. All of this before lunch!


After lunch some of us went hiking on a trail that turned out to be much more rugged than advertised. Others kayaked or took zodiac rides.   We sent sail after dinner, heading further north for tomorrow.  Dolphins came to bow run again. We watched them by the light of the moon — seeing their ghostly shapes and hearing them break through the water and splash back down was an eerie experience. 


It is hard to remember that this is only day three of our 14-day adventure: four species of whales, two species of dolphins, sea lions and seabirds… what will happen next?


Pictured (internet permitting) sperm whale profile and fluke, common dolphins feeding and bow running.

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