The vacation days you may plan don’t always turn out the way you expect. We adventured off in our expedition landing craft in a beautiful lagoon that seemed full of gray whales. The conditions were ideal with no fog and a gentle breeze under a clear blue sky with a few wisps of clouds. Smiles and the spray from the noses of whales were soon smeared across our faces, hair, hands, cameras, and clothing. We loved it! The grays were everywhere, and many of them seemed quite happy to see us as well. Both morning and afternoon outings had tolerant whale moms that encouraged their young to interact with us by putting their 40-ton bodies against their calves and pushing them to our eager hands. Many of these whales love to be stroked by human hands. Maybe it’s the fuss we make stomping around trying to get to the side the whales are on, stretching as far as we can to touch that damp skin without falling out of the boat, holding children with our outstretched arms for their chance to make contact, splashing and throwing water with our hands like some kind of ritual to appease the whale gods, and generally being totally uninhibited in an almost desperate attempt to make that connection. How grand it is!
Although there were many friendly cow-calf pairs, the favorite female was Olivia, so-named by the local pangeros. She allowed us to rub her face, nose, and lower jaw between bouts of swimming under our boats and rubbing against them, bumping, pushing, and raising them up a bit. She allowed her calf to also receive facial, cheek, and throat rubs. After a half hour or so they would leave, we’d move on, and soon she’d find us and the entire interaction would start again. Throughout the day she spent hours with our boats and thrilled all of us with her trusting friendship. It was truly remarkable.
We also explored the extensive dunes of Isla Magdalena. There was little trace of humans amongst the tracks of black-tailed jackrabbits, coyotes, mice, and lizards winding amongst the immense dunes. Ocean currents carried the light tan sand south; it was thrown onto the beaches by winter storms, and then blown into horseshoe-shaped dunes that eventually disappear into Bahía Magdalena.
A Mexican fiesta dinner with an authentic band was a perfect ending to our day. Everyone came except for Olivia.
