This morning we rounded the tip of Baja at 5:00am and we are now in the This Sea of Cortez. The area is good for sighting active humpback whales, who breach, tail-flap and flipper-flap. We follow one group of three whales that includes a baby who loves to practice his breaching techniques, over and over - very entertaining. I get one very good shot of the baby completely out of the water. Every so often one of the adults will join in, but the youngster is the star. In the afternoon, we walk and bird watch, then snorkel on a reef near a sandy beach. Lots of colorful tropical fish above the rocky bottom.
Right now, the sun is setting. Charles and Geri-Sue are in the galley preparing dinner; tonight is braised lamb shanks. Charles studied at the California Culinary Institute, and it shows. He is also an avid photographer and has a portfolio of mind blowing wildlife shots taken from the boat. Geri-Sue assists in the galley and does baking of muffins, breads and cookies. They both have some impressive tattoos, and I ask permission to document them with camera. After dinner, Michael trys to explain bio-luminescence, but everyone is too loose to follow along, so we adjourn and go to the bow to watch the phenomenon first hand. The wake glows and swirls with light from the tiny creatures, agitated by the boat's wake. The light is milky green, like the hands of a luminous watch. A school of fish runs away from the wake and leaves trails like the traces of fireworks in the dark water. 4:30 am - the day is capped of when a gentle announcement on the boat's PA says there are dolphins bow riding the wake in bio-luminescence. In the pitch dark night, they leave big trails of light that wriggle and twist through the bow wake. Like something in a dream.
That's a wonderful picture of the baby out of the water. What a cutie! How lucky are you to have a trained chef doing the cooking? Loving your descriptions, as always.
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