Trip Reports

Hello whale watchers,

What a day we had today! It started with an early morning wake-up wat Los Islotes where we would fit in an early snorkel session. All the snorkelers returned with big smiled from swimming with sea lions and all the colorful reef fishes. Many thanks to Naturalist Rob N. for the photo use above AND the article in the link provided. Then we had a skiff ride for everyone for nice photography of the island wildlife, including blue-footed boobies!

We hoisted the skiffs aboard and headed south into La Paz bay. We were met by our local expert Jesus. He  provided two pangas for our whale shark trip. Our snorkelers and observers went out for 2 hours and returned with glowing reviews of their great looks at big whale sharks!  The sharks were in shallow water so the observers were able to get good looks in clean water too.

Naturalist Lee’s photo from a 2016 whale shark expedition.

We departed and headed north to get to the Cerralvo channel for the afternoon. Along the way we stopped and looked at jumping smooth-tailed mobulas. We entered the channel and it didn’t take long for the crew to spot pilot whales! We stayed with the pilot whales for over an hour and then it was time to start traveling towards Cabo San Lucas.
What a trip! We were able to so much of Baja California’s wildlife. Looking forward to next trip with plenty of potential for another great trip!

Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers!
After a great breakfast and beautiful sunrise ,we went offshore to find blue whales. It didn’t take very long to find a blue whale. It was the same whale in the same area as the day before, so it felt like an old friend!

Then the “boyz on the roof” spotted multiple spouts further away, so off we went. As we arrived on scene and found four blue whales within a mile of each other and two of them showed their flukes with each dive. Here is a photo of one of the “flukers.”

We came across yet another pair of blue whales on our way to Isla Santa Catalina after spending 90-minutes with the flukers. We had some great looks at the pair and one of those whales showed its fluke multiple times. So it was a great morning whatching blue whales!

We arrived at Isla Santa Catalina after lunch and since the sun was high, we opted to have a snorkel session and a “Krazy Koastal Kruise.”

Returning from the “coastal cruise” to see island wildlife and views!

After a quick break, everyone went ashore for the rest of the afternoon.

Tonight is margarita night and our traditional “back deck buffet” so it’s time for our dinner under the stars!
Team Searcher

Hello all,

We had a great visit to Bahia Tombobiche this morning. The bird watching ashore was fantastic, and the group also enjoyed another snorkeling opportunity. Today, we had a couple visitors on board! Our old friend Manuel, who has been a friend of ours for over 20 years, brought us some fresh fish which the group enjoyed this evening for dinner. And, this guy (pictured below) decided to hangout with us for a bit as well!

After lunch we left the anchorage, and enjoyed increasingly nice weather as we moved north. A good size group of common dolphin were headed in the same direction making it easy for everyone to hangout on the bow and watch the dolphins. We were also lucky to have a blue whale surface close by, and spent another hour enjoying the blue whale. All in all, a great day!

Team Searcher

Hello all,

We had an amazing morning at Isla San Francisco, as you can see in the photograph the sunrise was spectacular. The group enjoyed a nice walk with a great view of the bay,  followed by an exciting snorkel session where garden eels were spotted!

After a cheeseburger lunch in paradise, we pulled the anchor and headed up the San Jose channel. The further we traveled up the channel the better the weather got.  We even came a cross a group of bottle nose dolphins along the way.

We anchored at Bahia Tambobiche for the night, and enjoyed rack of lamb for dinner! Tonight was extra special as we celebrated several birthdays with ice cream cake for everyone. Here the birthday trio are blowing out the candles, and enjoying the birthday festivities.

Team Searcher

Hello all,

Incredible whale watching this morning! Humpback whales were abundant for 40 miles this morning, all the way from Cabo San Lucas to Los Frailes. We had great views of flukes, flippers and whales breaching close to the boat! The weather is phenomenal with a surface temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius), calm seas and light winds.

We arrived at Los Frailes for a walk after lunch. The Grey Thrasher was seen and heard by the group. We also had 16 snorkelers head over to the reef for our first snorkel session.

Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers: We had a wonderful day today in Laguna San Ignacio. We were able to offer a birding and wildlife excursion into the mangroves to start the day. Then we had a quick break and snack, then passengers were back out for whalewatch trips before and after lunch. The final trip was an optional whalewatch or a walk on the lovely and pristine beach.  It was glorious on the beach with light winds and sunny skies.

The whalewatchers also had a great excursion. They had a close encounter with a mother and calf pair. It was a great way to end a great day!

Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers,

We arrived in Laguna San Ignacio this morning after breakfast. The wind was up but subsided enough to go whalewatching among the gray whales. Everyone enjoyed the first trip and after a quick break, they went out again for their second trip of the morning. The weather continued to improve and we enjoyed some ideal conditions for our time here. We were able to put the shade canopy up!

Long-time colleagues and friends, Josele of Kuyima and Capt Art, enjoy the shade on our back deck, while the passengers are enjoying the gray whales!

There are a lot of whales here! We’ve seen some mating groups and some curious mom/calf pairs. We hope to get the recent census numbers today. Passengers witnessed lots of breaching whales too.

Lunch was Baja-fresh tuna sandwiches with tomato bisque soup. Yummy!

Team Searcher

 

Afternoon update:
We had a tremendous day with great weather and lots of whales. Our panga drivers did a great job today–Frederico, Choppie and Ramiro–with their comfortable big “Cadillac” pangas with plenty of room for all.

Choppie is pictured in the foreground and a grey whale coming to the surface in the background. We had great whale watching from  Searcher today as well.

We plan to turn off the generators off tonight for quiet time to listen to the whales and stargaze.

Team Searcher

Hello all,

A great day at Isla San Benito! Sunny skies and warm weather provided optimal conditions for a hike. Along the way we saw a variety of creatures, including a number of northern elephant seals, both nursing and recently weaned pups (aka weaners) stayed behind on the beach while the females head offshore to feed. We also sighted osprey on the nests, falcons and horned larks. Though we typically see fur seals around the island, there weren’t any sightings in the usual spot today.
The island has had some rain recently allowing for many plants on the island to bloom. Blue dicks, island mallow, ice plant and cliff spurge made the island extra inviting and fun to explore. Here’s a photo of the very pretty island mallow in bloom.

Headed south tonight! Will be visiting Laguna San Ignacio after breakfast.
Team Searcher

Hello whalewatchers:

Passengers gathered in San Diego yesterday and boarded Searcher for a day to relax, bird, sight-see, or just get to know fellow passengers. We departed last night around 9:30 p.m.

We cleared into Mexican Immigration this morning in Ensenada harbor and all went well. We then made the crossing over to Islas Todos Santos in choppy conditions. We have some strong NW wind and large swells from a recent front that passed through the area.

At the island, we looked at northern elephant seals, harbor seals, peregrine falcons, cormorants, brown pelicans and black oystercatchers.  We traveled south under sunny skies and had one large group of common dolphins visit for a while. Then as the morning progressed, we noticed that hundreds of Bonaparte gulls have shown up. This small gull is very pretty, and last trip we saw only 3 or 4 birds.

But the highlight came in the afternoon with great viewing of albatrosses! We saw both black-footed and layson albatrosses, and multiples of each. Some of the birds came very close to the boat so if you wanted a photo or just a good look, it was possible today.

Black-footed Albatross @ Tom Blackman

Laysan Albatross @ Tom Blackman

Team Searcher