Trip Reports

Howdy whalewatchers:,
We started our day with a hearty breakfast  to prepare for a morning of whale shark observations just outside of La Paz. The first pangas out had early views of groups of feeding bottlenose dolphins as the spotters scanned the area for whale sharks. Some passengers observed the wildlife from the shaded seating in the panga while others opted to jump in with our local guide and swim with these amazing creatures.  We observed several whale sharks feeding and swimming, some were easily over 26 feet long! The conditions were excellent for viewing both above and below the surface – even the plankton was visible, spilling into the whale shark’s open mouth as it fed.  It has been a memorable day already, and there’s still more to come. The weather is warm and sunny and not too hot.  Look for another report soon.

Howdy whalewatchers,
This afternoon we saw a blue whale on the way to Isla Los Islotes, where more than half of the passengers opted to swim with the sea lions.  The late afternoon snorkel was filled with colorful reef fish and playful and interactive juvenile sea lions. After all that, we spotted a Bryde’s whale a mile northwest of Los Islotes. Dinner was bluefin tuna, broccolini, herb risotto with tomato fumet and most importantly, dessert was fresh berries with cream and sorbet.   We are off to Punta Colorado where we will walk and snorkel tomorrow.
Capt Aaron and Team Searcher   

Hello whalewatchers: We’ve had an amazing morning here! We have great weather and we have seen five blue whales, including a cow and calf pair, and a fin whale….all before noon! The fin whale was following a blue whale which was interesting. We have also seen a couple of loggerhead sea turtles. We’re continuing south for the afternoon.
We rounded out this afternoon by seeing a pod of 250 (estimated) common dolphin who provided quite a show as they leaped and frolicked off of Searcher‘s bow into sunset.  We enjoyed warm, sunny weather with a cool refreshing breeze during the entire sunset show.  Tonight’s dinner prepared by Charley and Dan is duck confit with wild rice and mole sauce, and a blueberry cheesecake for dessert. We are looking forward to a peaceful travel night on our way to Gorda Banks and Los Frailes for more Baja wildlife viewings tomorrow.
Capt Aaron and Team Searcher

Passengers enjoy wildlife viewing off the bow and a glass of wine and fresh salad to start the dinner hour!

Howdy whalewatchers,
Today was another day full of wildlife encounters in Laguna San Ignacio.  We had a full day of whalewatching from pangas, including a wonderful visit to the mangroves where we saw birds and green sea turtles,. Then we finished off the day with a walk on the beach to stretch our legs before departing the lagoon.  Today’s photos are of passengers enjoying Searcher’s shaded seating area during a break between panga rides, and a snapshot of a friendly gray whale who hung around the boat for some time this afternoon. Tomorrow we will be looking for offshore wildlife outside Magdalena Bay.
Capt Aaron and Team Searcher

Hello whalerwatchers:

It’s been a great day here on the Searcher in Laguna San Ignacio. The two morning trips were great for whalewatching and for friendly gray whales!

Hoping for a great afternoon as well.
Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew

Hello whalewatchers: Today’s nature walk on Isla San Benito was great! The weather was sunny and warm with a cool breeze.  Our passengers were excited to see a variety of wildlife and native plants. The naturalists led the walk to locations with elephant seals, nesting Cassin’s auklet, Guadalupe fur seals, multiple osprey nests and a group of black turnstones. They were also pleased to see a pair of blooming barrel cactus.  They enjoyed a delicious bag lunch at the lighthouse before returning to the beach where they were picked up by our Searcher skiffs.  We are headed south for Laguna San Ignacio.

Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew

Hello whalewatchers: We had a great day on the ocean today. The weather improved as the day went on. We saw some good birds: lots of shearwaters (sooty, pink-footed, and black-vented) and black footed albatrosses.  We saw a few very large sun fish as well. We enjoyed some good whales today including common and bottlenose dolphins.  Then we had a whale-filled afternoon with blue and gray whales, and then a cow/calf minke whale pair. We’re headed south to San Benito to go ashore for most of the day.
Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew

Seabirds at Islas Todos Santos (photo by Lee Morgan)

Hello whalewatchers: We observed an interesting blue whale today for a very long time. It stayed with us and and swam just under the surface. Great photography! Check out “Rob-servations” for more details about blue whales. After we left that magical animal we found a pod of short-beaked common dolphins. They were getting some air–very acrobatic!
Capt Aaron and the Searcher crew

Many thanks to Rob Nawojchik for the photo use.