San Ignacio Lagoon
To look a whale in the eye is an unforgettable experience. To have a female gray whale push her calf up towards the surface and closer to us is nearly unbelievable. Yet, this was our day today in San Ignacio Lagoon.
Gray whales were hunted to near extinction twice in their history. Some adult gray whales may be old enough to have lived in the era when they were hunted. During these times, gray whales were called “devil fish” by whalers for the violent way they reacted to being hunted. And yet, today we drifted around in their lagoon in our little boats that could easily have been smashed to pieces. But instead, a 45 foot, 20-30 ton mother gray whale delicately danced around us. Gently pushing her 15-foot calf up to get a view of us strange visitors to their world, the gray whales performed an amazing event today.
The human-whale interaction was at its maximum today. It was a constant dance in the Zodiacs to figure out which side a calf would appear. Occasionally a calf would lift the bow, giving everyone on board a fun ride. Close views were had of the blowholes, occasionally even getting a great blast in the face. And to top it off, many had one of the ultimate wildlife experiences…to touch a whale. Words cannot really describe what it is like to be one of those who are so lucky to have had this unforgettable experience.
