On Friday our spirits were low. Wednesday saw the group at its most drunk. Thursday was full of hangovers and embarrassments (let’s just say that one of our party made it a necessity that their sheets needed to be changed). Thursday night saw a pricey dinner and the hell that is the Cabo nightlife (more on this later). People weren’t unhappy, but there was talk about a week being too long. On top of all this we were all supposed to take the boat out on a boose-cruise/whale watching expedition/snorkling extravaganza.
By the time we made it to the marina and started in the Sea of Cortez it looked like it would be a long final couple of days. It was windy, which made the sea choppy. We were driving a couple miles off the shore and looking for whales. There were a couple of false alarms and then excitement. Our captain spotted a whale. He turned the boat into the wind and we started plowing through the waves. It was difficult to stand things were so choppy, but everyone started to wake up and get excited. We got close to the whale and realized it was a baby humpback.
The captain slowed the boat and couple of us immediately headed toward the bow to get a better look. The swells were big and we were a little worried about falling overboard, but the whale was jumping and breaching like crazy, making the risk plenty worth it. As the whale swam ahead of us the captain had to move the boat, which turned the bow into a roller-coaster. I stood up and go right on the edge of the bow (Titanic style). As we would reach each swell I had to bend my legs and bounce with the boat. I felt like a real seaman. The baby continued to jump, but the mother only showed once. When the baby dove the mother showed her tail. The tail was as big as the baby; it was amazing. We’d seen lots of whales through the binoculars at the cassita, but this was our first (and only) time up close. After about fifteen minutes we lost the whales, but they had done a fine job lifting our spirits.
After the whales we headed to a place to anchor and snorkel. I was the first one in the water and off to see some fish. The snorkeling was much better than on Wednesday. The boat was anchored in about 25 feet of water and we could swim all the way over to some rocks. There was coral all over the place. I managed to do lots of diving and so fish, starfish, live coral, and sea urchins.
From the moment we saw the whales to the moment we got on the plane things went smoothly. Amazing what a brand new forty-five foot boat, a Mexican captain, a cooler of beer, and two whales can do for your spirits.
