Here are some of the many comments we've received from our passengers.3/25/2010
At the beginning of the trip you said safety would be paramount and we would have a trip of a lifetime. You and your team delivered 100% on both counts plus wonderful good and a friendly staff. Thank you all very much.
3/25/2010
An absolutely brilliant and inspiring adventures. Very well planned and one of the most exciting we have experienced. Well chosen crew, who each in their own way made us very comfortable. Brilliant naturalists. Thank you Celia and Art
3/25/2010
You have a tremendous crew who have looked after us exceedingly well and they made the trip a great experience.
3/25/2010
We have had an absolutely fabulous time. Every day brought new and amazing views of Baja wildlife. A really special place that will stay in our memory forever.
3/25/2010
Fantastic trip--wonders every day. A real family atmosphere. Crew work really well together to ensure everything is safe and smooth. Every day a treat--right up to the last day.
3/9/2010
This trip has exceeded all our expectations--compliments to the captain and crew. We have found the current format brilliant.
3/9/2010
Thanks for a great adventure of a lifetime. We appreciate all the hard work from all of you. We will recommend the entire East Coast take this trip.
3/9/2010
Everyone on the crew and Celia did a wonderful job and it seemed the perfect balance of activities and length of time. In the kitchen, Charles and Steve deserve particular credit, extremely personable and just wonderful food.
3/24/2009
Dear Art and Celia
I’m just writing a brief note to thank you so much for the truly wonderful holiday I had – I will never forget it. I am in danger of losing some of my lifelong friends, as they have to look at my photos and hear my stories for the 20th time! You and your crew were just fantastic – nothing was too much trouble, and we were all looked after so well - we had such a great time.
I genuinely can say ‘hope to meet you again’. In the meantime, I wish you success with all your trips, keep safe at sea, and send my love to the whales.
With very best regards
Pam Litton
3/24/2009
We couldn't imagine one single suggestion to make our trip any better....it's been brilliant! Great crew, amazing food, and a brilliant captain. Our only complaint....it has to end. Thanks again for a trip of a lifetime!
3/24/2009
Awesome, thrilling, fantastic, exciting trip. Thank you Art and all your crew for looking after us all so well. I leave Baja with some treasured memories.
3/24/2009
What can I say except an excellent trip. AS to Captain and crew, helpful, considerate, kind, competent, safety-conscious, and if that all sounds a bit priggish, funny and great sense of humor. Just hard working, far beyond the call of duty. And the food--wow!
3/9/2009
I wanted the personal experience of these wonderful gray whales that pass by our lighthouse every spring. SO much more! Totally enhanced by an incredible caring and capable captain and crew. I had complete faith and confidence in every step we took.
Thank you,
Judy
3/9/2009
There is not enough space here to extoll the virtue of this experience. My expectations were exceeded across all areas. I saw more wildlife than I could have imagined. The crew was more attention than expected. The food was fabulous--very unexpected. Thanks a million!
3/9/2009
What a trip! A truly extraordinary adventure. The attention to every detail, on top of a generous-hearted crew, was remarkable and helped to make the whole experience even more memorable and joyful than expected (and believe me, expectations were high!).
3/9/2009
Searcher Team,
Thanks so much for the wonderful experience. When friends and family ask me about my trip, I tell them that I have many stories, but it was indescribable. This feeling comes in part from the great work you all do in revealing the majesty of Baja. I hope to have the opportunity to join you again soon.
Sincerely,
Michael
3/9/2009
Art, Celia and crew:
Thank you for a wonderful trip. You and your team have certainly achieved the goal you strive for! An adventure to remember, indeed, and 35 new friends too. Many thanks, best wishes, and don't change anything!
Clodagh
3/9/2009
Incredible!
Thanks for all the hard work, dedication, emphasis on a safe trip, camaraderie, etc, etc.
Truly superb in all respects!
3/9/2009
Another fantastic, magical, miraculous adventure! Thanks to Art, Celia, and crew for making this so wonderful.
Joanne Lasnier
p.s. I'll be back!
2/22/2009
Dear Celia and Art,
We want to express our thanks to you for the truly magical experiences we had aboard the Searcher, all of which were made possible of by the amazing richness of the wildlife, but also by the patience, knowledge and passion of Art and his crew.
These experiences will be fondly engrained in our memories for many years to come and we will forever feel privileged to have been touched by Baja and its whales.
Take Care & Best wishes
Lisa & Alan Chapma
2/22/2009
Hi Celia and Art,
Just a quick email to thank you both and the rest of the Searcher crew for putting such a huge smile on my face. The trip far exceeded my expectations,
and they were pretty high! As I've been telling my friends, this trip is a nature photographer's dream, and nirvana for whale addicts such as myself.
But as spectacular as the scenery and the whale displays were, the sight that blew my mind, and continues to blow my mind, was the bioluminescent
dolphins riding the bow at night. It was an unexpected delight that brought
tears to my eyes. So too did my eye to eye contact with a gray whale in San Ignacio lagoon, and my game of tag with a young California sea lion.
In the hustle and bustle of our urban lives, we often forget how beautiful this planet and its creatures are. Thank you so much for reminding me.
It was a totally skookum good time.
Cheers,
Val
2/22/2009
Thank you for an amazing trip. We have loved every minute and appreciated the hard work of all the crew in looking after us so well.
2/22/2009
Second time around and you demonstrated once again that nature is the GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH! Thank you for sharing this spell-binding adventure with us. A heartfelt thanks to all the hard work and dedication of the Searcher crew--Captain Art, Kevin, Kenny, Joe, Cole, Charles, Steve and especially Celia.
2/22/2009
Thank you for a great trip! Wonderful crew, knowledgable guides, excellent food, no opportunity missed to make sure we had a wonderful holiday.
2/22/2009
A fabulous trip in a beautiful boat, great variety of experiences, wonderful whalewatching, terrific food, and safey a great priority which was appreciated.
Thanks for a great trip.
2/22/2009
Dear Celia, Art, Kenny, Kevin, Joe, Cole and, of course, the chef and sous-chef Charles and Steve,
'Thank you' seem very inadequate words to express our gratitude for such an exciting and fulfilling trip on Searcher - it was a truly spiritual and memorable experience. I still feel very emotional when thinking about it - how privileged we have been.
Art heads a supremely efficient team who had our enjoyment and safety at the forefront of everything they did. Like all experts they make it looks so easy! It was nice to feel 'watched over' in the slightly bad weather and when transferring to the skiffs. Charles is responsible for our weight gain! Food was excellent and it was good to hear Charles explain that he tried hard to get ethically produced food - the beef was exceptionally good.
We are waiting for the pictures to be circulated amongst the passengers - there were some brilliant ones taken - so that we can reminisce, especially about the humpback 'boys' as Patti called them. Having Patti and Ron to 'grill' with questions was a joy, they were so knowledgeable and patient.
A reunion trip was mentioned amongst us all, so we shall have to see.
Thank you all so much and our good wishes for your continued success in all that you do.
Kind regards,
Cheryl and Terry
2/22/2009
Dear Celia and Art, and the whole crew:
Thank you all so much for the most amazing holiday; it surpassed all our expectations; from the fantastic, seemingly endless display of breaching by the humpbacks in the Sea of Cortez, to the splendid exhibition of spy-hopping by the grey whales in the lagoon - and the magical experience of coming face to face with a baby grey whale.
The graceful manta rays gliding through the water, the flocks of acrobatic mobula; dolphins luminescing under the boat after a stunning sunset in the lagoon - and many many more memories to treasure.
Entertaining conversations with the other passengers, who are inspiring us to look at other wildlife trips that they have already done.
The crew were magnificent - all of them so knowledgeable about the wildlife and keen that we should enjoy ourselves. And of course the food was uniformly wonderful - serious dieting time now we're back on dry land.
We loved it and it is definitely on our list of things to do again. So thank you again for what was truly a trip of a lifetime.
Fran and Mick
2/22/2009
Thank you all for the most magical and moving experience. Don't change a thing, just keep doing what you are doing--enabling people to share in the magic of Baja and keeping your passion alive. Thank you!
2/7/2009
Outstanding in every respect. Do not change anything. Team spirit and naturalists unsurpassable.
2/7/2009
Everything we hoped and more! An amazing experience, made complete by a fantastic crew and great cooking! We will return!
2/7/2009
The whole trip was excellent. So much so, I will be booking in for next year. Well done, Art and your crew, for keeping such a wonderful show on the high seas.
2/7/2009
"Team Searcher," thank you! Change nothing, keep everything! Fantastic, fabulous, memories are made of this!
2/7/2009
Dear Celia,
I wanted to thank you and to pass on my thanks and appreciation to Art and all the crew of Searcher and to Paul and Marc, who made my trip to Baja so wonderful.
It really was a privilege to see the majestic blue whale, with a calf, making her way through the ocean, to see the grey whales so close in Laguna San Ignacio, to see the athletic humpback whales hurling themselves to the sky, to see so many sperm whales that you could almost walk to shore across their backs as they "logged" in the water, to see orca bow riding and to see the sea alive with joyous dolphin surrounding the boat on all sides. It truly was an experience to lift the soul.
I know that we were blessed with all that we saw, but I also know that we would not have seen what we did if it had not been for the experience and professionalism of Art and the crew who go quietly about their business, without claiming any credit for their skills; but it was not unnoticed and it certainly was appreciated.
I hope to see you all again someday.
2/7/2009
A fantastic privlege--food for the soul. Brillant crew. Thank you.
2/7/2009
This trip could not be bettered. It has been a delight and the Searcher's crew could not have done more to make us all feel safe and at home. A unique experience. Thank you all.
2/1/2009
You and your carefully trained crew were delightful and devoted to heling us when we needed you and even when we did not know we needed help.
5/19/2008
Dear Celia and Art,
Bill and I would like to thank yourselves and your wonderful Crew and Naturalists from the bottom of our hearts for giving us the most fantastic and enlightening trip.
We were amazed that every day threw something even more incredible at us which succeeded in awakening each of our senses either individually or on some occasions most of them altogether. These varied from hearing the blows of numerous different kinds of whales and the barking of sea lions , to seeing giant sized flora- cacti and fauna -whales, to smelling very smelly sperm whale breath, to touching the gray whales and finally tasting brilliant meals every day.
Emotions also ran high as we couldn't believe that we were actually seeing and doing things that we had only ever dreamt of before.
We are still realising just what an amazing trip we have experienced and know that it came right up to our expectations and beyond. Thanks to you all again and now you know why I needed the red wine every night!!
Cheers
Bill and Honor
4/4/2008
Thank you ALL for a memorable and pleasurable adventure. Every detail planned and executed was done with goodwill, professional skill and expertise. The food was outstanding, tasty, nutritious and well planned. Concern for passengers' safety, well being, and comfort was exemplary. All equipment and the environment related to excursions, travel, and hygiene were maintained with a sound knowledge base, team work, and principles of safety and good seamanship. What an amazing crew you are!
Laughter, good humor, intelligence, and courtesty are your hallmarks!
Thank you again,
Pat Pruden
4/4/2008
Joan and I would like to thank you for giving us the honour of being part of this trip.. We don't believe you or the rest of the crew would have done any more to make this an unbelievable experience and can only forward our grateful thanks.
Thank you,
Tony and Joan Bland
4/4/2008
You two have been brilliant! Kevin, Kenny, Randy, Aaron, Joe, and Cole all so great, it's hard to explain. We couldn't have been better looked after had it been a cruise liner. Then you gave us Jim and Rob and these guys were so passionate, knowledgeable, and were happy to give us their time. I didn't feel stupid asking questions, and though they will have answered them hundreds of times, they told us or much more than we wanted to know. I learned so much. Every walk, skiff ride, swim was an adventure. Every hour on deck watching for whales treasured.
Thank you,
Byron and Louise Godfrey
4/4/2008
When you said "trip of a lifetime," you weren't exaggerating. Thanks guys (and Celia, of course)
Tony Eldridge
3/19/2008
"Good morning whalewatchers! This is your wake-up call!"
My entire time onboard was a wake-up call--to mobulas, fried-egg jellyfish, wavy barrel cactus, sea lions dancing in my face, more blue whales than I ever dreamed of. I'm sad to end the real-life trip, but will continue to stroke the whales when i dream.
3/19/2008
Thank you to every member of the crew, including Art and Celia, for making this a life-changing trip I will never be able to forget. Every person was knowledgable, thoughtful, and worked hard to help make it such a wonderful trip. And in addition, everyone was so kind, truly going beyond anything expected. Thank you, thank yoU!
You do a great service for those who come n these trips, and I hope we will make a difference to help protect these beautiful animals and these places.
3/19/2008
I would recommend this trip to anyone with a love of nature, being outdoors, and a sense of wonder. For anyone interested in visiting Baja, Searcher is the way to go. Every person on the crew is fantastic--their gentle smiles, good humor, attention to our safety, nature knowledge and steadfastness on the boat. We will miss feeling so well-supported.
And a special, grand thanks to Captain Art. You did it all. From daily checks on us for our personal well-being to the insistence of strict methods to ensure safety. You set the tone for entering San Ignacio, and we carried your passionate approach and attention with us as we visited the gray whales. Thank you for sharing your sensitive caring, and thank you for the reminder to take in the experiences through our hearts, not just our cameras and binoculars. With sincere thanks,
Karen and Bob
2/24/2008
Hi Celia
We just wanted to send our thanks for such a fantastic trip - we really did have the most amazing time and learnt so much whilst enjoying ourselves so much. It has definitely inspired us to continue in this vein and go on other such trips in different parts of the world.
Thanks to you and the crew for such great organisation- we were very well looked after and need to go on diets for a while after such good food!!!
We have some unique and wonderful memories, great pictures and made some good friends too, we will be swapping stories and pics for a long time to come.
We would certainly recommend you to several people that we know, who would absolutely adore such a holiday.
Thanks again to everyone for making it such a good trip.
Kind regards
Yvonne and Michael
2/20/2008
Dear Celia, Art and all the crew of 'Searcher',
Just a short note to thank you all for giving us such a wonderful holiday in Baja. We know that we had almost perfect conditions weather wise but none the less our sightings of the whales, birds and stunning scenery more than lived up to our expectations. The time spent in Laguna San Ignacio with the grey whales was much more than a wildlife experience and will be a time we will always remember in our hearts forever, no wonder Art feels so passionate about the place.
A special mention to Paul and Marc for their expertise which gave us much more of an insight to the animals we were watching without ever impinging on our enjoyment of the moment.
The crew were so good you hardly knew they were around, their humour and knowledge added greatly to our whole experience, and the speed and efficiency which they got the skiffs in and out of the water had to be seen to be believed. Thanks to Randy for his fantastic food and for looking after me when the heat got too much for me.
Finally to Art: a well run boat depends greatly on its skipper and in Art we had a terrific skipper. He should be very proud of what he has achieved and his views on wildlife reflect our own. Celia, you help with arrangements for us 'none travellers' was excellent,. It was traumatic enough for us arranging this holiday but your help and advice was perfect and made the whole journey much easier than we thought it would be.
So many thanks to you all again and we will recommend 'Searcher' to anyone with a passing interest in whales.
Thank you so very much,
Pam & Arthur Brown
www.discovermull.co.uk
2/19/2008
The trip was superbly planned, staffed and executed. We had some experiences which greatly exceeded our expectations. Contact with the whales was quite extraordinary; equalling our best wildlife experiences anywhere. Onboard facilities, food, and general standards were explemplary. Our guides were fountain of knowledge and we learned much. We shall, of course, be recommending this trip to like-minded friends.
Ronnie and Carrie Wilkie
2/19/2008
Dear Celia,
I thought I'd write to you before the world 'swallows' me again. The trip was wonderful! Art, the crew, the food and -ABOVE ALL- being with and in
nature were absolutely incredible. On a trip like this, everyone has a different experience. However, I have no doubt that ALL truly enjoyed and gained from this journey.
The name "Searcher" is very apt because the trip
becomes (and certainly became for me) a 'search' - it might be a search for whales but it's also an inner search.
Warm regards,
Heidi Mueller
2/19/2008
Dear Celia and Art,
We would like to thank you both for a wonderful holiday / experience. It was really a trip of a lifetime and way way beyond our expectations. As Nancy says it was "heaven on earth."
The organization (from the very first e-mail, until the last taxi drive) was really perfect. The crew on board were wonderful. We have a few friends who like wildlife too and we surely recommend this trip to them.
It’s hard to express our feelings, but thanks again for this wonderful experience.
With love,
Nancy and Jeroen
Holland
2/19/2008
Very good trip, all the staff are remarkable and help make this trip a time to remember. Unforgettable experiences nearly every day, particularly gray whales, humpbacks, blue whales, and dolphins. Laguna San Ignacio magical. You have an ethical policy to be very proud of.
7/1/2007
Stanley Johnson's article:
Reinventing the whale - Guardian UK
Reinventing the whale
By Stanley Johnson. Published in The Guardian, Saturday 28th July 2007
3/21/2007
Dear Capt Art and Celia:
I am still dreaming of the sea, the rocking of the boat, the upwelling of whales. It was a truly glorious time searching with you for the whales. Many thanks to the great crew and naturalists. Each added their indespensible presence to our trip. A time to remember forever!
Barbara Smith
3/21/2007
Excellent trip! Consistently well planned. Crew are great fun and very attentive to all of us--whatever the age. I appreciate everything being kept clean, Watching the whales was like a wonderful safari. Awesome!
3/21/2007
Thank you for a wonderful tour. I felt safe, taken care of, and deliciously fed. The crew was attentive, friendly and warm. Within hours of my arrival, I felt at home.
Eudie Schachter
3/6/2007
Dear Celia, Captain Art and the entire Searcher team (Randy, Steve, Kenny,Kevin, Joe and Aaron),
I wanted to relay my hearfelt appreciation for the wonderful journey I have had the privilege to share with my fellow nature lovers and the dedicated crew of the Searcher.
I have traveled a bit around the world ( not as much as I would have like to). It is mostly travel to the so called Old World. I have been to Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy, France and Germay. I have admired all the great monuments and museums of these countries. Most of these are testaments to the glory and triumph of man. But I think nothing compares with the grandeur of Mother nature, God’s creations which I beheld all throughout my Baja expedition. I have reviewed pictures taken with my ordinary camera and have shown it to my friends. They have nothing but awe and wonder at all the pictures depicting the raw and pristine beauty of the various islands we visited. I am wistful now that I have finished the trip. I wish that I had imbibed, inhaled and basked more than I think I did all the grandeur that was around me. It seems that when you are surrounded by such beauty all around you, you take everything for granted such as the magnificent sunrises which greeted us each day, the glorious sunsets which usher in the night or even the simple beauty of the rock formations and islands floating on the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez.
I am also grateful for all the wonderful people I met on this trip, kindred spirits with love of nature. I am so inspired by all the adventures of these veteran travelers.
Finally, I would like to extend again my deepest appreciation for all the hard work involved in planning and running this trip. Both Patti and Ron were very informative. I really liked the educational talks offered on most nights. I appreciate all the vigilance of the crew while on the upper deck in watching for wildlife for the passengers to appreciate. I appreciate all the care taken in ensuring the passenger’s safety while disembarking from the boat to the skiffs or monitoring us while we were snorkeling or swimming on the beaches, or even while we are just simply trying to navigate around the salon or outside when we were experiencing rough waters. In chatting with some of the crew, I realized that their dedication to their work springs from their love of the sea and their job.
"I need the sea because it teaches me,"
"I move in the university of the waves."
- Pablo Neruda
Again, thank you so much. I hope to be on another trip soon.
Sincerely,
Isabel Crisostomo
3/6/2007
Wonderful experience--we enjoyed every minute! The crew, naturalists, and fellow passengers made this incredible trip unique. And thanks, thanks, thanks, to the whales!
Karen and Richard Kolar
3/6/2007
You probably hear this a lot but I will write it anyway. This has been an unforgettable, magical experience. Thank you for all your hard work, dedication, and passion for the sea.
3/6/2007
Your ship and crew are the finest we have had the pleasure of sailing with. To the man they know their jobs and they will bend over backwards to make you comfortable in any way. Both the naturalists were very knowledgable and are highly recommended. And last, Captain Art, thank you for sharing your ship and Baja with us. We are both very impressed and hope to sail with you again.
Van Argabright
3/6/2007
Hello Searcher
Our target was to see Blue Whales and it was a dream come true. Not only one but a mother and calf - what more could be asked? It was a very emotional moment for both Heather and I to see them, and to be so close to the grey whales, and to have such a show by the humpbacks, and to witness the huges number of birds in the feeding frenzy, and ... and... and ...!
All this was made possible by the dedication, enthusiasm, expertise, friendliness and any other adjective which could be used to praise the crew and backup of Searcher, and the enthusiasm of the naturalists, and we like to thank them yet again for all they did for us (we have already used Randy's enchilada recipe!). Without this crew and support I am in no doubt it would be a much lesser experience.
Once again - many thanks for enabling such a memorable experience!
Regards
Simon & Heather Beesley
3/6/2007
Art, Celia, Crew--both Alan and I had a marvelous trip and look forward to doing this again in a year or two. Thank you for making this a very special experience.
Best regards,
Lise and Alan Miller
2/20/2007
Hi Celia,
I have only just come down to earth after the fantastic holiday I had aboard "Searcher". I really appreciated the efforts of Art and the crew
to maximise our opportunities for whale spotting even though the elements were sometimes against us. The whole holiday exceeded my expectations for the number and variety of species seen (non cetacean as well as cetacean) and I shall treasure many wonderful memories.
I am now trying to lose the added pounds from eating too much lovely food!!
Thanks again,
Sheila Doel
2/20/2007
Dear Celia,
My boss could not believe the picture of me touching a porpoise. When I told him it was a baby gray whale, he just looked at me open-mouthed and said "wow." This is what this trip did for me. It was a "Wow."
Julie Miller
2/19/2007
The Searcher and crew were wonderful--nothing ever too much trouble for anyone. We saw so much and having Paul and Marc to identify the birds and animals was truly remarkable.
Thanks!
Bob and Diana Sanders
2/19/2007
We thought the dedication of the crew for watching out for wildlife was fantastic. We expected one person to be a lookout and to be out there ourselves much of the time. While it was still great to be out, it was good to know nothing would be missed if we had a rest or some shade. Many thanks!
2/19/2007
Much praise for the crew who were unfailingly helpful and attentive. Well designed acitivities. It was good to have choices to suit all ranges or abilities. We appreciated not being rushed at any time--plenty of time to just watch the elephant seals, whales, and take endless photos! Really wonderful trip, don't want it to end!
2/19/2007
I would like to emphasize the kindness and helpfulness as well as their proficiency of the whole crew, not to mention the great meals and fine cooking. Thanks,
Raymond DeBoullouche
