Boca de Soledad
The sun rose through layers of gray clouds over the mainland of the Baja peninsula. The northern section of Bahia Magdalena, Boca de Soledad, was still experiencing windy conditions. This would be our second day of whale watching, and we would be starting slightly earlier this morning. Coffee and fresh muffins provided fortification, for a slightly bumpy ride in our Zodiacs, heading to several remote corners of the Boca de Soledad. Riding with the wind, our four boats headed towards what appeared to be quite a grouping of Grey whales. And, indeed it was just that. Cow-calf pairs and single adults were all quite active this morning, rolling, spy-hopping, a few breaches and the customary escorting of mothers and babies and curious single adult whales. Curious being the optimum word! Our morning had begun without expectation; and as a gift for that openness, the winter residents of these protected waters began approaching our Zodiacs. Each vessel had its own section of this large nursery area and we all took advantage of this time, individually and together to embrace the friendly gestures of these large marine mammals. It is their world, the sea, it is their winter calving grounds that we visit and this morning these sentient beings have decided that four black Zodiacs with very enthusiastic occupants should be welcomed into the world of the Grey whale.
A particular cow-calf pair slowed, were very relaxed and turned to approach several of our Zodiacs. Humans reached over the side extending hands into the water, and we watched as a slightly smaller Grey whale’s head came up, paused and seemed to enjoy the gentle stroke of a human hand. The mother lay just under her offspring, but soon she also decided a closer visit to a boat full of happy humans, would be the perfect way to start her day. These two whales continued to circle the Zodiacs, stopping occasionally as the mom lifted her baby for all to see! The baby whale continued her approach, and just when we all thought we had experienced the most intense and close interaction with a wild animal in our lives, the baby opened her mouth and enjoyed a thorough baleen rubdown as our Smithsonian staff member offered his hand as a very large human toothbrush, moving back and forth just under the top of the baby’s mouth! We laughed, we were speechless, we paused, we needed rest from the shear joy of the moment.
The morning turned into early afternoon, and the Sea Bird lifted her anchor and returned south through Hull Canal. A deck lunch was served under sunny skies. We dropped the hook at the south end of Isla Magdelena, off of Sand dollar beach just before 3:00PM and prepared for a final dash to the Pacific through a magnificent dune landscape. Body surfing, long walks, and a world of large and small things all brought alive before our eyes. Each of us, taking a moment to reflect over this last day; the eye of a whale watching us just under the surface of the water, the track of a beetle disappearing in the windy dunes, a deep breath of clean Baja air; all a reminder of this wild place and a hope that each of us would take a little piece of ‘home’ in our hearts. Sharon Grainger, Naturalist
The sun rose through layers of gray clouds over the mainland of the Baja peninsula. The northern section of Bahia Magdalena, Boca de Soledad, was still experiencing windy conditions. This would be our second day of whale watching, and we would be starting slightly earlier this morning. Coffee and fresh muffins provided fortification, for a slightly bumpy ride in our Zodiacs, heading to several remote corners of the Boca de Soledad. Riding with the wind, our four boats headed towards what appeared to be quite a grouping of Grey whales. And, indeed it was just that. Cow-calf pairs and single adults were all quite active this morning, rolling, spy-hopping, a few breaches and the customary escorting of mothers and babies and curious single adult whales. Curious being the optimum word! Our morning had begun without expectation; and as a gift for that openness, the winter residents of these protected waters began approaching our Zodiacs. Each vessel had its own section of this large nursery area and we all took advantage of this time, individually and together to embrace the friendly gestures of these large marine mammals. It is their world, the sea, it is their winter calving grounds that we visit and this morning these sentient beings have decided that four black Zodiacs with very enthusiastic occupants should be welcomed into the world of the Grey whale.
A particular cow-calf pair slowed, were very relaxed and turned to approach several of our Zodiacs. Humans reached over the side extending hands into the water, and we watched as a slightly smaller Grey whale’s head came up, paused and seemed to enjoy the gentle stroke of a human hand. The mother lay just under her offspring, but soon she also decided a closer visit to a boat full of happy humans, would be the perfect way to start her day. These two whales continued to circle the Zodiacs, stopping occasionally as the mom lifted her baby for all to see! The baby whale continued her approach, and just when we all thought we had experienced the most intense and close interaction with a wild animal in our lives, the baby opened her mouth and enjoyed a thorough baleen rubdown as our Smithsonian staff member offered his hand as a very large human toothbrush, moving back and forth just under the top of the baby’s mouth! We laughed, we were speechless, we paused, we needed rest from the shear joy of the moment.
The morning turned into early afternoon, and the Sea Bird lifted her anchor and returned south through Hull Canal. A deck lunch was served under sunny skies. We dropped the hook at the south end of Isla Magdelena, off of Sand dollar beach just before 3:00PM and prepared for a final dash to the Pacific through a magnificent dune landscape. Body surfing, long walks, and a world of large and small things all brought alive before our eyes. Each of us, taking a moment to reflect over this last day; the eye of a whale watching us just under the surface of the water, the track of a beetle disappearing in the windy dunes, a deep breath of clean Baja air; all a reminder of this wild place and a hope that each of us would take a little piece of ‘home’ in our hearts. Sharon Grainger, Naturalist
