June 2019 – Mobula Ray Expedition Logs

This seasons mobula ray expeditions have been awesome! So much wildlife, so many amazing places, so much fun! Here are the logs from June 2019, including conditions and sightings.

Mobula Ray Expedition: May 30-June 3, 2019

Team: Donna (Guide), Marta (Scientist/Guide), Juan (Captain), & Cecilia (Photo Pro)
Guests: David (US), Peter (US)
Location/sites: La Paz Bay: La Paz peninsula, Espiritu Santo island (MPA), Los Islotes (MPA)
Conditions: Mostly sunny with a bit of wind occasionally. Air temp: 25 C/74F. Water temp: 22 C/71 F. Surface: mild waves. Visibility: 10 meters in MPA, 20+ meters around the peninsula.
Wildlife Sightings: Schools of Mobula Munkiana (500+ individuals), Mobula Mobular, Common, Bottlenose & Spotted dolphins, Black marlin, Fin & Humpback whales, California sea lions, Green sea turtle
Quick Summary: We had an incredible week of surprises to kick off the season! Our first day kicked off with a massive super pod of dolphins chasing the boat and playing in our wake. We were able to even spend a bit of time in the water with them! The Mobulas are already beginning to aggregate in pretty large schools, with he average size being about 500-1000 individuals this week. We were also treated to breaching humpback whales and a group of massive fin whales coming by for a curious hello. Can’t wait to see what next week brings!
Log submitted by: Donna, June 10, 2019

Mobula Ray Expedition: June 6-10, 2019

Team: Donna (Guide), Marta (Scientist/Guide), Juan (Captain), Camila & Cecilia (Photo Pros)
Guests: Savy (US), Ash (US)
Location/sites: La Paz Bay: La Paz peninsula, Espiritu Santo island (MPA), Los Islotes (MPA)
Conditions: Mostly sunny with a bit of wind occasionally. Air temp: 25 C/74F. Water temp: 22 C/71 F. Surface: mild waves. Visibility: 10 meters in MPA, 20+ meters around the peninsula.
Wildlife Sightings: Schools of Mobula Munkiana (500+ individuals), Mobula Mobular, Mobula Thurstoni, Common & Bottlenose dolphins, Fin & Grey whales, California sea lions
Quick Summary: Another amazing expedition! The Mobulas were in full force and we got to swim with a beautiful school of juveniles as well as witness 2 separate groups of Mobulas coming together to form a huge school and then separating again in 2. We were able to collect some water samples and Marta showed us the zooplankton, which is what the Mobulas eat, under the microscope. We had a surprise sighting of a lonely Grey whale and the Fin whales came to greet us again and we could recognize one for it’s collapsed fin. We called her Fiona. What a breathtaking experience!
Log submitted by: Donna, June 10, 2019