Baja’s manta rays
Manta ray
Photo by Charles Howell
What Chefs Charles and Steve see out their window while cooking in Baja (Click More button)
Photo by Charles Howell
A beautiful video by Dave Eagle!
2011 passenger, Dave Eagle, made this video of Searcher trip experiences and wildlife. Enjoy!
A good-lookin’ bunch of whalewatchers!
Photo courtesy of Michael Ellis, Footloose Forays
March 20 census Laguna San Ignacio
There are 103 cow/calf pairs and 53 single gray whales in the lagoon.
Chocolate lava cake, anyone?
Steve “Wrong Way” Lamb (aka Lamp Chop) shares a decadent dessert recipe, as served aboard Searcher Natural History Tours.
Lamb Chop in his native habitat!
Chocolate Lava Cakes
Yield: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
1-1/2 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar (Ghirardelli)
2 eggs
1/4 cup(s) heavy cream
8 tablespoon(s) (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup(s) sugar
1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1/4 cup(s) cake flour
Directions
To make centers, melt 2 ounces of chocolate (1/2 a baking bar) and cream in a double boiler. Whisk gently to blend. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Form into 6 balls; refrigerate until needed.
To make cake, heat oven to 400°F.
Spray six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray.
Melt 4 ounces of chocolate (1 baking bar) and butter in double boiler; whisk gently to blend.
With an electric mixer, whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and light.
Fold melted chocolate mixture and flour into egg mixture just until combined.
Spoon cake batter into ramekins. Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin. Bake about 15 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Let it sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around inside of each ramekin, place a plate on top, invert and remove ramekin.
Garnish with raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream.
Rare dwarf sperm whale cow/calf photo
Conditions were just right for a great shot of the surfacing dwarf sperm whales. Congrats to Chef Charles Howell for capturing this elusive cetacean! (Editor’s note: It takes boat-handling skill by Capt Art too!)
Laguna San Ignacio census March 15
There are 80 mother/calf pairs and 89 singles, for a total of 249 gray whales. Thanks to Chef Charles for the spyhopping gray whale photo taken in the lagoon!
Tour #4 Another whale species and underwater fun March 19
Hello whalewatcher,
Ttoday was another remarkable day with calm seas and wind. We started the day at the south end of Isla San Jose in the mangroves. Everyone enjoyed the skiff ride. We left there and headed south towards Los Islotes for another skiff ride and a snorkel with the sea lions.
Everyone enjoyed the stay at Los Islotes. The water was warm and there was a tremendous amount of life around the islets–lots of bait fish, pelicans diving and lots of sea lions.
We left there and headed south. We travelled for an hour and spotted three dwarf sperm whales on the surface. We were able to get close and I think it was best look we have ever had of these whales. The water was glassy and extremely calm, and we got within 50 feet of these whales. What a treat and a great way to end an incredible trip!
The group was awsome and the naturalists Michael Ellis and Armando Quintero from Footloose Forays were superb.
Looking forward to next trip,
Capt Art
