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,...
Elusive Spirit Bear. The 2017 trip was the third I had made to this wonderful location. Its pristine waters host an abundance of species. Perhaps the most important and oft forgotten is the salmon. The annual salmon run supports this diverse ecosystem and without it...
Close Encounter with a Spirit Bear. We spent a full day watching Spirit Bears on Gribbell Island with our good friend Richard Barrett. Richard had a surprise very close encounter with this very friendly bear!
Bubblenet feeding Humpback Whales. As we approached the end of our trip, we called in at Klemtu to take on more water. As we approached the dock, to our amazement we found two Humpback Whales bubblenet feeding. The water was flat calm so it was easy to spot the...
The sight and sound of Humpback Whales. We had anchored for the night in Scow Bay just off Klekane having encountered probably more than 100 Humpback Whales as we did so. The follow morning as we left the bay, our small boat was surrounded by these massive and...
Two Spirit Bears fishing on Gribbell Island. The 2017 trip was the third I had made to this wonderful location. Its pristine waters host an abundance of species. Perhaps the most important and oft forgotten is the salmon. The annual salmon run supports this diverse...
A young Spirit Bear arrives on the scene. The 2017 trip was the third I had made to this wonderful location. Its pristine waters host an abundance of species. Perhaps the most important and oft forgotten is the salmon. The annual salmon run supports this diverse...
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...
We were sailing along Chatham Strait when some Dall’s Porpoises came towards us. As we picked up speed, they began to ride the bow wave. They are unbelievably fast (this film shows them in slow motion). We could see them quite clearly as they swam under the bow and...
The presence of large shoals of herring attracted these whales and they spent a long time feeding on this bonanza of food.
Humpback Whales. We spent quite some time with this group of Humpback Whales. The blows stood out nicely against the dark trees and the sounds of their blows echoed around us. Magical!