One week in Baja California last month, Sven Lindblad, founder of Lindblad Expeditions, led an expedition exploring the Sea of Cortez. These expeditions, open to all curious travelers, have no set day-to-day itinerary. Instead the expedition leader, naturalist staff and captain rely on their deep knowledge of the seasonal movements of wildlife to inform where they'll explore each day.
The week of this expedition, guests traveling aboard the 62-guest ship National Geographic Sea Bird saw blue whales, humpback whales, fin whales, Bryde's whales, pilot whales and thousands of common dolphins. They also saw several sperm whales pass within only a few feet of their Zodiacs. While this would be considered an excellent week of wildlife sightings by any measure, it is by no means out of the ordinary for the region.
Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic have been exploring Baja California and the Sea of Cortez for over 30 years -- see their Baja expeditions planned for 2013.
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Common dolphin and Zodiac
Dolphins bow riding our ship and Zodiacs is a common sight and excellent photo op. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Common dolphins
A pod of several hundred common dolphins feeding on a massive school of sardines. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Brown pelicans
Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Blue whale
A blue whale spout alongside the bow of <em>National Geographic Sea Bird</em>. Blue whales are the largest creatures to have ever lived on Earth. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Leaping common dolphin
Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
California sea lions
California sea lions at Los Islotes. Guests aboard <em>National Geographic Sea Bird</em> snorkeled among these playful and curious creatures one afternoon. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Boobies
A group of boobies, including blue-footed boobies pass overhead. Baja California has about 20% of the world’s population of blue-footed boobies. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Mobula rays
Mobula rays leaping out of the water, a characteristic behavior of the species seen in the Sea of Cortez. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Morning stretch
Guests greet the morning with a stretching class led by the wellness specialist. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Cardon cacti
Guests hike through a desert of gigantic cardon cacti. <a href="http://www.expeditions.com/Destination44.asp?Destination=287" target="_hplink">Learn more about exploring Baja California & the Sea of Cortez</a>. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Hiking desert islands
A hike on Isla Santa Catalina. The islands in the Sea of Cortez were named a UNESCO World Heritage site for their outstanding value and beauty in their natural, unaltered state. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Arroyo hike
Naturalist and former professor of biology at the National University of Mexico William Lopez-Forment leads a hike up a narrow canyon while sharing with guests the medicinal uses and histories of each plant they pass. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Cactus close-up
Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Cave kayaking
<em>National Geographic Sea Bird</em> is equipped with kayaks that offer guests up-close, water level encounters with wildness. Here two in a tandem kayak explore a series of water-level caves. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Sea kayaking
A guest returns to the beach after kayaking the spectacular shoreline. The twin expeditions ships in the background, <em>National Geographic Sea Bird</em> and <em>National Geographic Sea Lion</em>, made a rare rendezvous and guests met for cocktails on the beach before parting ways. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
National Geographic Sea Bird
Leaping common dolphins and the 62-guest <em>National Geographic Sea Bird</em>. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Photography on the bow
Every expedition aboard <em>National Geographic Sea Lion</em> sails with a <a href="http://www.expeditions.com/Expedition_Photograp1034.asp?destination=298" target="_hplink">Lindblad-National Geographic certified photo instructor</a> aboard. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Crew
A few of the stewards, the bartender and engineer’s assistant of National Geographic Sea Bird. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Beach music
Talented guests and crew share a couple songs on the beach after the sunset. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Idyllic isolation
During the weeklong <a href="http://www.expeditions.com/Destination44.asp?Destination=287" target="_hplink">Baja expedition</a>, the only other ships spotted were a few fishing skiffs and two private yachts. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
Splendid solitude
Quiet reflection on one of the countless beaches of the islands in the Sea of Cortez. Photo ©Sven-Olof Lindblad
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