Boca de Soledad, Bahia Magdalena
“OOH-WEE and up she rises,
OOH-WEE and up she rises,
OOH-WEE and up she rises,
Early in the morning!”
- Traditional sea shanty
And so it was! Both the intrepid whale watchers AND the gray whales themselves were rising early on this, our first full morning on the National Geographic Sea Bird here on the traditional whale grounds of Magdalena Bay. Up before sunrise to catch the magnificent hues of light reflected back towards the sea from low-lying clouds, whale spouts dotted the seascape here and there as the first whales of the morning became visible to our eyes in the gathering light.
It was to be a morning of mothers and newborn calves. After swimming some 5,000 miles to arrive here in the protected waters of the lagoon, pregnant cows give birth to a 15 foot long baby whale that weighs almost a ton. As it turned out, many of our guests have also traveled thousands of miles to bear witness to the very same event. One of the highlights of the morning was most certainly when one mother chose to “rise above the rest” and grace us with an eye-to-eye look. This behavior is known as spy-hopping, and often begs the question of just who is watching whom.
Our afternoon was one of continued whale encounters as mother whales were exercising their calves in preparation for the 5,000 mile long swim back to feeding grounds in the Bering and Chuckchi seas. The pairs will be among the last animals to leave these protected waters, with the mother waiting until her calf has gained enough size and strength to make the journey safely.
Twice in recent history these whales have been nearly exploited into extinction, first in the 1850’s and then again in the 1920’s. Both times it is believed that the populations dropped below 500 animals in total. For all of us aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird it has been a reminder of how beautiful yet fragile our oceans can be.
“OOH-WEE and up she rises,
OOH-WEE and up she rises,
OOH-WEE and up she rises,
Early in the morning!”
- Traditional sea shanty
And so it was! Both the intrepid whale watchers AND the gray whales themselves were rising early on this, our first full morning on the National Geographic Sea Bird here on the traditional whale grounds of Magdalena Bay. Up before sunrise to catch the magnificent hues of light reflected back towards the sea from low-lying clouds, whale spouts dotted the seascape here and there as the first whales of the morning became visible to our eyes in the gathering light.
It was to be a morning of mothers and newborn calves. After swimming some 5,000 miles to arrive here in the protected waters of the lagoon, pregnant cows give birth to a 15 foot long baby whale that weighs almost a ton. As it turned out, many of our guests have also traveled thousands of miles to bear witness to the very same event. One of the highlights of the morning was most certainly when one mother chose to “rise above the rest” and grace us with an eye-to-eye look. This behavior is known as spy-hopping, and often begs the question of just who is watching whom.
Our afternoon was one of continued whale encounters as mother whales were exercising their calves in preparation for the 5,000 mile long swim back to feeding grounds in the Bering and Chuckchi seas. The pairs will be among the last animals to leave these protected waters, with the mother waiting until her calf has gained enough size and strength to make the journey safely.
Twice in recent history these whales have been nearly exploited into extinction, first in the 1850’s and then again in the 1920’s. Both times it is believed that the populations dropped below 500 animals in total. For all of us aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird it has been a reminder of how beautiful yet fragile our oceans can be.
