Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur
The day that we were waiting for finally came. We left the Sea Bird as early as possible in a bus ride to the beautiful town of San Ignacio de Kadakaaman. By crossing the high mountain range to the west, crowned by the huge mass of Las Tres Virgenes Volcano and its impressive lava floods, we arrived to San Ignacio, one of the few oases on the peninsula where a Jesuit mission was established in 1728. After some snacks we boarded several vans that would take us straight to the lagoon on a dirt road, while observing the interesting vegetation and scenery from the windows.
Two hours (of bumps and dust) later we finally arrived to San Ignacio Lagoon. Restrooms, snacks and briefings were necessary before boarding the “pangas” or local fiberglass boats. Once at the whale watching location we started to see pairs of cows and calves. The activity there was intense: terns, scoters, brants, herons, gulls and many other birds framed the graceful movements of the whales while diving and swimming with or against the tidal currents. Some were even showing themselves spy-hopping or breaching in the distance. We went from one spot to the other to ensure a good shot with our cameras.
The boats dispersed to cover “more of the lagoon” and to increase the chances to continue having good encounters. Things couldn’t have been better. The wind stopped blowing and the ocean was smooth. Then it happened. A friendly cow and calf made their appearance from nowhere, without any warning. Right next to one boat the mother sank and allowed the baby to have the first anxious human hands on it. The baby seemed to enjoy that close encounter and interaction with our own species as much as we did.
Many touched the calf. We watched it swimming and diving around the boat, sometimes scratching the body on it. It opened and closed the mouth repeatedly to throw water against us, or pushed the boat with its rostrum, or shaked the head and rolled over its own axis. It even followed us as we moved to give chances to the other boats. It seemed like an eternity, though there may be only a few minutes enjoying each episode of its behavior.
The afternoon ran and the team had to leave the solitude of the windy lagoon. But once back to the ship everybody was sure that we were not the same. Something had changed inside.
The day that we were waiting for finally came. We left the Sea Bird as early as possible in a bus ride to the beautiful town of San Ignacio de Kadakaaman. By crossing the high mountain range to the west, crowned by the huge mass of Las Tres Virgenes Volcano and its impressive lava floods, we arrived to San Ignacio, one of the few oases on the peninsula where a Jesuit mission was established in 1728. After some snacks we boarded several vans that would take us straight to the lagoon on a dirt road, while observing the interesting vegetation and scenery from the windows.
Two hours (of bumps and dust) later we finally arrived to San Ignacio Lagoon. Restrooms, snacks and briefings were necessary before boarding the “pangas” or local fiberglass boats. Once at the whale watching location we started to see pairs of cows and calves. The activity there was intense: terns, scoters, brants, herons, gulls and many other birds framed the graceful movements of the whales while diving and swimming with or against the tidal currents. Some were even showing themselves spy-hopping or breaching in the distance. We went from one spot to the other to ensure a good shot with our cameras.
The boats dispersed to cover “more of the lagoon” and to increase the chances to continue having good encounters. Things couldn’t have been better. The wind stopped blowing and the ocean was smooth. Then it happened. A friendly cow and calf made their appearance from nowhere, without any warning. Right next to one boat the mother sank and allowed the baby to have the first anxious human hands on it. The baby seemed to enjoy that close encounter and interaction with our own species as much as we did.
Many touched the calf. We watched it swimming and diving around the boat, sometimes scratching the body on it. It opened and closed the mouth repeatedly to throw water against us, or pushed the boat with its rostrum, or shaked the head and rolled over its own axis. It even followed us as we moved to give chances to the other boats. It seemed like an eternity, though there may be only a few minutes enjoying each episode of its behavior.
The afternoon ran and the team had to leave the solitude of the windy lagoon. But once back to the ship everybody was sure that we were not the same. Something had changed inside.
