We woke up to a beautiful sunny day with glassy conditions. Next to our ship we saw diving pelicans and a California sea lion feeding on baitfish. With a dropping tide, the naturalist staff headed out to scout the entrance of the Man o’ War mangroves and returned with a mapped-out route to follow.
After a great breakfast all guests headed out on the Zodiacs for a cruise deep back in Man o’ War Cove where we sighted various interesting birds including white ibis, great blue heron, spotted sandpiper, American oystercatcher, whimbrel, and more. Our naturalist staff showed all guests the red mangroves and the unique habitat they create.
We then went to shore on the isthmus beach near Puerto Magdalena where guests had the choice of casual walking or fat-tire bike riding. The bike riders made it to Bahia Santa Maria to see the Pacific side of the island and got to view many cacti including the endemic creeping devil.
Back on board, guests were treated to a mangrove presentation by Melissa, our undersea specialist, which elaborated on our time in the Man o’ War Lagoon. After lunch we went ashore to offer hikes at Puerto Magdalena.
After the hikes we all gathered at Chejo’s to enjoy drinks and tostadas and to hear Chejo, the unofficial mayor of the town, tell the story of the founding of Puerto Magdalena.
What an incredible day it was, topped off with an amazing recap session, dinner, and a bird presentation by Kelly.
