Baja – Syndication Server

Angler in Mexico lands mystery fish ‘with human teeth’

A couple in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, this week caught a fish “with human teeth” and shared images and video via social media, requesting a species identification.

The man and woman are from Lithuania, explaining their accents in the footage. Ruta Gudo, who captured the imagery, posted to the Talk Baja Facebook page. (Click here to view the video clips.)

While reaching out and displaying the fish dangling on the line, the man asked, “Who knows what kind of fish is here?”

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Several commenters were critical of the man for displaying the fish in such a manner, and not releasing the fish quickly enough. (The puffer was released, Gudo assured.)

But at least one commenter identified the fish as a bullseye puffer.

Bullseye puffers are found in the Eastern Pacific from Baja California to Peru, and the Galápagos Islands. They have distinct markings and peculiar-looking front teeth.

Their flesh is poisonous and should not be consumed.

We’re not sure if the couple obtained a weight before releasing the puffer. The all-tackle world record for bullseye puffers stands at 2 pounds, 8 ounces. That fish was caught at Puerto Penasco, Mexico, in 2021.

Watch: Massive sea creature startles family on Mexican beach

A family enjoying a beach day in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur was frightened by a massive elephant seal that emerged on the shore and approached the group.

The accompanying footage, captured in the municipality of Mulege, shows the blubbery mammal approaching the family as a woman screams and a child tries to remain brave.

News CD Constitution BCS shared no other information, but it appears as though the elephant seal was merely looking for a suitable resting spot.

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Northern elephant seals are the largest “true” seals in the Northern Hemisphere and can weigh as much as 5,000 pounds. Their range includes the eastern and central North Pacific, from Alaska to Baja California.

Except during breeding season from December through March, they spend most of their time feeding at sea. Elephant seals can dive 2,500 feet in search of prey. They feed primarily on squid and fish, including sharks and rays.

Anglers set out for tuna, land 1,000-pound blue marlin

Anglers vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Wednesday brought to port a blue marlin that weighed an estimated 1,000 pounds and measured an astonishing 14 feet.

Pisces Sportfishing, whose fleet was not involved in the extraordinary catch, reported via Facebook that the Minnesota anglers were aboard Dream Maker with Capt. “Cheque” Cervantes.

“Happening NOW in Cabo. Another ‘out of season’ Blue Marlin today, weighing in at 660 lbs and measured out to 169 inches; 14 feet!” Pisces exclaimed.

Marshall Ryerson, who arranged the charter, told FTW Outdoors that the marlin was so long and heavy that only part of the fish could be hoisted onto a local dock scale. Based on its 169-inch length and 69-inch girth, Ryerson added, the marlin’s weight was estimated at 1,000 pounds.

Anglers pose with blue marlin estimated to weigh 1,000 pounds

That would rank as one of the top blue marlin catches in the steeped history of Cabo San Lucas sportfishing.

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(For the sake of comparison, a blue marlin caught by Pisces in 2019 weighed 814 pounds on an official scale after measuring 167.5 inches with a 66-inch girth.)

The marlin was caught by Caesar Larson and Luke Fox, who were among five anglers on a charter in search of tuna and dorado. The massive billfish attacked their lures five seconds apart and they fought the marlin with both rods for 90 minutes before it was alongside the 34-foot boat.

Ryerson, who said the marlin was in no shape to be released, addressed the greater challenge of transporting such a large marlin back to port.

“It took seven of us and every bit of energy from each of us to get the fish in the boat,” he said, referring to the anglers and crewmen. “After several attempts and help from the waves we were able to get the fish up and into the boat.”

Luke Fox (left) and Caesar Larson pose with marlin they caught off Cabo San Lucas

Ryerson added that the meat was donated to a local charity that benefits impoverished children.

Tracy Ehrenberg, who runs Pisces Sportfishing, told FTW Outdoors that a 700-pound blue marlin was landed a week earlier. Both catches were unusual because prime fishing season for blue marlin is July through October.

“However, there is always one big blue caught in the first month of the year,” Ehrenberg said. “Two is exceptional. But if you go back and examine the archives, the biggest blue marlin in my memory are caught out of season, like April or May.”

The marlin was donated to a charity that feeds impoverished children

Ehrenberg said the fleets are currently focused on striped marlin, which are more abundant during the winter, along with dorado and other small gamefish.

Catch-and-release marlin fishing is strongly encouraged in Cabo San Lucas, and the vast majority of anglers set their billfish free whenever possible.

Mystery surrounds rare crocodile discovery on Baja beach

A crocodile carcass was found on a beach in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur on Friday in what might be a first-of-its-kind discovery.

“It is the first time that we have found something like this on our beaches,” Pepe Murrieta, 50, a lifelong BCS resident, stated on Facebook.

Murrieta spotted the 9-foot reptile on the sand at 9 a.m. at Cabo Pulmo National Park in the state’s East Cape region.

American crocodiles are found in tropical regions on Mexico’s mainland, across the Gulf of California, or Sea of Cortez. Wild crocodiles are not found on the Baja California peninsula, where the desert climate is not suitable.

Murrieta, who runs a dive center and restaurant at Cabo Pulmo, noted that the crocodile’s death “seemed recent since it was still in perfect temperature and complete.”

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However, Murrieta told FTW Outdoors that the carcass was partially covered in barnacles and that “it looks like it was in the sea for a while.”

He said the crocodile might have drifted across the gulf during recent storms. But the carcass showed no signs of predation.

Wild Canyon Adventures, south of Cabo Pulmo in Los Cabos, states on its website that it exhibits crocodiles and other “rescue animals” in its animal sanctuary.

Spokeswoman Wendoly Gil told FTW Outdoors that all animals are accounted for and remain “under our care and protection.”

Gil said that perhaps the crocodile was formerly cared for by a now-defunct zoo in the town of Santiago. Another recently shuttered local facility also kept captive crocodiles.

It remains unclear whether those reptiles were sold as exotic pets or placed elsewhere.

Murrieta said government scientists collected the carcass he found and scheduled a necropsy to confirm the species and determine a probable cause of death.

Watch: Orcas dazzle boaters during ‘magical’ rare encounter

A whale-watching charter out of San Diego on Tuesday spent “five magical hours” with orcas that surfed, leaped, and even swam upside down within feet of passengers and crew.

The extraordinary footage, captured by Gone Whale Watching San Diego, shows Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, or orcas, clearly interacting with those aboard the 27-foot Boston Whaler.

“All in all this was one of the best trips in our company’s history,” Domenic Biagini, owner of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, wrote on Facebook.

Acting on a tip from a sportfishing captain, Biagini traveled 80 miles south of San Diego, into Mexican waters, in search of the ETP killer whales.

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He first located beaked whales, and footage of that rare encounter is forthcoming. Biagini and crew spotted the orcas on the way back up the coast, about 50 miles south of San Diego.

ETP orcas, which are spotted sporadically off Mexico and in the Sea of Cortez, are famously inquisitive around boats and have been known to surf in their wakes.

Biagini’s passengers were treated to this behavior but also observed the grace and beauty of the mammals as they slowly swam beneath and next to the boat, at times completely upside down.

Passengers also witnessed a predation event (the jumping portion of the video) involving a common dolphin that ultimately became an orca snack.

“The orcas toyed with this common dolphin for nearly 90 minutes before finally completing the kill and sharing in a meal,” Biagini explained on Facebook. “It very well may have been a teaching moment for the youngsters in this pod. They’ll have to complete hunts themselves one day!”

The footage was captured by Biagini, Kyle Henderson, and Alyson Moors.

Biagini assured that his engines were not running during the orcas’ close approaches, and that the orcas were “play-chasing us,” and not the other way around, when the boat was in motion.

Watch: Orca leaps 15 feet during dramatic dolphin hunt

On Monday we shared video footage showing an orca’s extraordinary leap while attacking a dolphin Sunday in Mexico’s Sea Of Cortez. Late Monday a sharper clip surfaced showing the same incident, but from a different angle.

On Monday we shared video footage showing an orca’s extraordinary leap while attacking a dolphin Sunday in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Late Monday a sharper clip surfaced, showing the same incident from a different angle.

The footage, captured by Afrelandra Glez. Cibrián, shows the orca slamming the dolphin during a vertical charge and vault of about 15 feet. (Best viewed with sound.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPACJZ2g9Yg/

“Orcas should always be free to jump out of the water and follow their natural instincts!” the Instagram description reads. “They don’t deserve to be used as human entertainment and be kept in captivity.”

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The predation at Cabo Pulmo, a dive spot north of Cabo San Lucas, occurred after several boats had gathered to view an orca pod of about 10 animals. The footage below was captured via cellphone by Miguel Cuevas of Cabo Pulmo Divers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CO-we3PgF9P/

The orcas killed the dolphin during a scene that played out over several hours. Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas, or killer whales, often prey on marine mammals.

–Image courtesy of Miguel Cuevas

Watch: Orca’s dramatic leap leaves boaters in awe

Boaters in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez were amazed Sunday as an orca leaped 15 feet clear of the surface while attacking a dolphin.

Boaters in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez were astonished Sunday as an orca leaped 15 feet clear of the surface while attacking a bottlenose dolphin.

The accompanying footage, captured by Miguel Cuevas of Cabo Pulmo Divers, shows the orca launching itself and the dolphin as the orca rammed the smaller mammal during a high-speed vertical charge. (Best viewed with sound.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CO80C_0AiJi/

The predation event at Cabo Pulmo, a dive spot north of Cabo San Lucas, occurred after several boats had gathered to view an orca pod as it hunted dolphins.

Cabo Pulmo Divers described the great leap as an “amazing moment” on Facebook.

Orca slams dolphin at the surface. Photo: Miguel Cuevas

Researchers who had seen the video tried late Sunday to obtain more information about the encounter and to determine whether any males accompanied the pod.

They noted that another Instagram post contains underwater footage – viewers must swipe to the third clip – of the orcas’ dolphin pursuit. (See post below.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CO9LlMrlWYX/

Cuevas told For The Win Outdoors that he counted “at least 10 orcas,” all females, and that the predation event, although it involved just the one kill, lasted several hours.

He estimated the height of the leap to be “four to five meters.”

Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas, or killer whales, prey largely on marine mammals and mobula rays, which are abundant in the gulf. The orcas are known to express curiosity toward boaters and to occasionally surf in vessels’ wakes.

On April 20, farther north in Bahia de los Angeles, several orcas from a pod of 12, including a young calf, swam so closely to a panga that one of its passengers later recalled, “I laughed and cried and was in utter disbelief.”

–Images courtesy of Miguel Cuevas/Cabo Pulmo Divers

Gray whale displays calf to boaters, image stirs emotions

After Capt. Alushe Camacho shared an extraordinary image Tuesday, showing a gray whale hoisting her calf almost entirely out of the water, his Facebook followers were quick to respond.

“What a beautiful photo,” one person wrote.

“The perfect shot at the perfect time,” another admirer stated.

But because the sight was so striking, with the large calf draped over its momma’s back and appearing motionless, some wondered whether it might be injured or dead.

https://www.facebook.com/alushe00/posts/3911330908965052

Additionally, there are scars on the calf’s back and its eye appears to be only partially open.

“Alive? Did you see him moving?” Asked Erin Johns Gless, a U.S.-based researcher.

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The image was captured last season, before the COVID-19 pandemic, in Magdalena Bay off Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.

Baja California’s lagoons are winter nursing grounds for thousands of gray whales, famous for intimately close interactions between the curious mammals and tourists.

Momma whales occasionally play with their calves, and sometimes appear to show them off to boaters.

But behavior such as that captured by Camacho, with a larger calf being lifted so high, has not been widely documented.

Wrote Johns Gless: “I’ve seen mothers push their babies to help them breathe, but I’ve never seen one completely out of water like this on the mother’s back. If you saw it move, that’s okay, but this is very different than anything I’ve ever seen.”

She mentioned a well-documented case in which a Southern Resident killer whale, in 2018, carried her dead calf for more than two weeks off Canada and the northwestern U.S. in what seemed a period of grieving.

Camacho, whose family has run Pirates Tours for nearly 40 years, assured Johns Gless and others on the thread that the whale calf was alive and healthy, and that he would not have shared the image if that weren’t the case.

“It’s normal for whales to play with their mother and climb on her body,” he said.

Camacho, 33, told For The Win Outdoors that he has been leading tours since he was 21. He said a client captured the image and he’s the man standing at the stern of the skiff, wearing a red cap.

“Since I am the captain of that boat, I want to assure you that I saw that calf alive and swimming,” he said.

Gray whales are currently leaving the lagoons for their northbound migration to summer feeding grounds off Alaska. Mothers with calves are the last to exit the lagoons.

–Image courtesy of Capt. Alushe Camacho

Astonished paddlers suddenly amid orca ‘feeding frenzy’

A group of paddlers off La Paz, Mexico, recently found themselves surrounded by orcas as the mammals feasted on schooling mobula rays.

“The whole thing was absolutely powerful, magical, and oh so lucky,” Sergio Garcia, owner of Baja SUP, told For The Win Outdoors. “We felt grateful to have been there at exactly the right moment and place to share that experience.”

Garcia, 39, on Thursday provided a summary of the late January encounter involving at least five Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, or orcas.

He was on SUP board and two others, Terri Lynn and Rene Potvin, were on kayaks. Lynn and Potvin had been freediving and spearfishing from their kayaks before the orca sighting off Playa El Coyote in the Sea of Cortez, just north of La Paz.

The encounter began after Garcia saw a large splash behind Lynn as the group prepared to paddle back to the beach.

“Assuming that this encounter was going to last only a few moments as the orcas cruised by, Sergio and Terri Lynn paddled quickly to follow behind the orcas and soak up every glimpse,” the summary reads. “Then, to their surprise, they realised that the pod wasn’t actually leaving! They were corralling a group of mobula rays – it was a feeding frenzy!”

Garcia said the paddlers tried to keep a responsible distance but that became impossible as the mobula rays rushed toward the paddlers while trying to escape the orcas, bringing the orcas to the paddlers.

“The orcas used bubble curtains and swam tight circles to keep the rays together and at the surface, and picked one off every once in a while,” the summary reads. “Rene saw a half-bitten ray floating by shortly after the feeding ended.

“The whales fed for about 10 minutes, then, apparently satiated, let the remaining rays go and turned their full attention to us.”

The orcas made repeated passes in what seemed expressions of curiosity, and remained with the paddlers for another 10 minutes before disappearing to the south.

One of the females in the pod, identifiable by a deep notch at the base of her dorsal fin, has been spotted elsewhere in Mexico and was once documented preying on a sunfish off the Mexican state of Michoacan.

Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales are encountered sporadically and have been spotted as far north as Southern California.

Rare synchronized blue whale ‘breach’ leaves boaters stunned

The mere sight of blue whales swimming near the surface can take a person’s breath away. But to watch the massive leviathans swim at high speed and breach like dolphins?

The mere sight of blue whales swimming near the surface can take a person’s breath away. But to watch the massive cetaceans race alongside the boat and break the surface like dolphins?

“We were all stunned and excited, and knew what we were seeing was exceptionally rare,” Charlie Harmer, owner of Silver Shark Adventures, told For The Win Outdoors. “I still can’t believe it.”

Harmer’s crew captured the accompanying footage last Monday in Bahia de los Angeles in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. It shows two blue whales racing side by side at 20 mph and porpoising as three passengers, Harmer, and his captain watched in awe.

“I still can’t believe it,” Harmer said.

Blue whales are the largest animals ever to have inhabited the planet. They can measure 100 feet and weigh more than 150 tons. They’re rarely observed engaging in racing behavior, which could involve courtship or merely competition.

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Silver Shark Adventures posted the clip to Facebook, inspiring dozens of comments, including this from California-based whale researcher, Alisa Schulman-Janiger:

“We saw this same rare behavior off of Santa Cruz Island in Southern California a few months ago; I have seen this less than a dozen times over 40 years.”

Harmer told For The Win Outdoors that the whales measured about 80 feet and the encounter lasted 20 minutes.

His company moors a boat in Bahia de los Angeles year-round and most clients drive from Southern California, 400 miles down the Baja California peninsula, for seven-day adventures.

The vast bay and its many islands are protected as a biosphere reserve. Its nutrient-rich waters teem with life.

States Harmer on the Silver Shark Adventures website: “My dream is to give our guests the feeling they have experienced something that is truly ‘once in a lifetime.’ Something to check off their ‘bucket list.’

–Images courtesy of Silver Shark Adventures