Guadalupe Fur Seals. By the late 19th century Guadalupe Fur Seals had been hunted to almost extinction and was only “re-discovered” in 1926. The population has grown from around 200-500 animals to about 16,000 in the last 60 years. They are considered Near Threatened...
Stunning Humpback Whales. Sailing south from San Diego along the Pacific coast of Baja it is not unusual to encounter rough seas. On this occasion it was unusually calm and sunny. We encountered a group of five stunning Humpback Whales in near perfect conditions. This...
Active Humpback Whales. After a few days of rough seas in the The Sea of Cortez, we headed south in search of calmer waters near the Gorda Banks and hopefully to find some active Humpback Whales. Thankfully the whales performed for us but there was still a substantial...
On San Benitos Islands just of the the Baja Californian coast there is a small colony of Guadalupe Fur Seals and we were lucky to see them on our visit there in April 2018. The vast majority of these rare seals are found on Guadalupe Island. These attractive yet...
At the southern tip of the Baja peninsular and just off the Gorda banks we had an amazing encounter with more than ninety Sperm Whales. At first they were quietly logging at the surface but slowly they become more active and started to dive and become more dispersed....
On our recent trip to Baja and just off the Gorda Banks at the southern tip of the peninsula we encountered a group of Humpback Whales. A female was quietly swimming along with her primary escort but there were four male pretenders in attendance. As a consequence,...
Our almost annual trip to Baja is a highlight of our year. Here is a compilation of some of the highlights from 2017
These molting Northern Elephant Seals looked very messy indeed.
I spent more than an hour watching these beautiful birds and their chick. The adults worked hard to bring fish to the growing chick. Watching them use the wind currents to approach and land on the nest was an impressive sight.
Watching Humpback Whales at sunset in the Sea of Cortez whilst sipping a chilled wine has to be one of the most magical moments. The blows of the whales were picked out by the setting sun.
On our 2017 trip to Baja and the Sea of Cortez, we were amazed to come across huge rafts of Eared Grebes. They would dive in synchrony and then re-emerge together. A most unusual sighting.
One never tires of watching these playful creatures.
This footage was taken with a GoPro from a small boat. But in the past, I have snorkeled with these fish - the largest on the planet. Quite an experience!
On the many trips we have taken to Baja and the Sea of Cortez, it is always impressive to see Blue Whales, the giants of the ocean. On this trip we saw several of these massive whales, including a close encounter with a mother and young calf.
These majestic animals are masters of the ocean. Ungainly on land, they are expert swimmers and love to engage with snorkelers.
On every trip we have made to Baja and the Sea of Cortez, we have seen these amazing rays massing in shoals with hundreds of individuals. As they leap from the ocean and land with a loud smack, one cannot help but smile. There is much speculation as to why they do...
Bioluminescence. Very early in the morning in the Sea of Cortez, we were lucky to witness this remarkable event.
Lunge-feeding Humpback Whales. To be able to watch these whales feeding so close to our boat was one of the many highlights of our trip to Baja in 2016.