Boca de la Soledad, Magdalena Bay
The gray whale watching at Boca de la Soledad (The Mouth of Solitude), the northernmost entrance to Bahia Magdalena, began very early this quiet morning. Our Zodiac boats were launched with excited guests at 7:00am whilst a smooth tidal current was coming in, setting the perfect conditions to find whales. Very close to our ship, the Sea Bird, several pairs of cows and calves were immediately seen. The closest ones were swimming and diving lazily towards the entrance, and those that were a little farther away displayed a lot of activity: some calves were breaching continuously while their patient mothers were either resting or just lying immobile under the surface of the water. To our surprise, some cows also spy-hoped several times. As the morning progressed, most of the gray whales dispersed over the extensive lagoon, but a cow and calf pair remained close to our Zodiacs and started to show the amazing and still not well understood friendly behavior. The cow permitted the calf to approach us! The little whale started a constant rubbing against our boats, putting the whole head out of the water while spinning the body to finally sink, doing that many times. Our Zodiacs received, in turns, the special visit of the two individuals, and sometimes the mother participated lifting her giant snout above the surface of the water in an attempt to reach our outstretched hands and arms. Many of our guests and Naturalists were sprayed abundantly almost every time the mother and baby exhaled.
More gray whale watching was made in the afternoon. We enjoyed the presence and acrobatic performance of a young whale, perhaps one or two years old (as we deduced from its size), that breached repeatedly. We finished this wonderful day with a Mexican fiesta onboard the Sea Bird, where Los Coyotes de Magdalena performed ranch music. A delicious dinner offered by the crew of a local restaurant crowned the event.
The gray whale watching at Boca de la Soledad (The Mouth of Solitude), the northernmost entrance to Bahia Magdalena, began very early this quiet morning. Our Zodiac boats were launched with excited guests at 7:00am whilst a smooth tidal current was coming in, setting the perfect conditions to find whales. Very close to our ship, the Sea Bird, several pairs of cows and calves were immediately seen. The closest ones were swimming and diving lazily towards the entrance, and those that were a little farther away displayed a lot of activity: some calves were breaching continuously while their patient mothers were either resting or just lying immobile under the surface of the water. To our surprise, some cows also spy-hoped several times. As the morning progressed, most of the gray whales dispersed over the extensive lagoon, but a cow and calf pair remained close to our Zodiacs and started to show the amazing and still not well understood friendly behavior. The cow permitted the calf to approach us! The little whale started a constant rubbing against our boats, putting the whole head out of the water while spinning the body to finally sink, doing that many times. Our Zodiacs received, in turns, the special visit of the two individuals, and sometimes the mother participated lifting her giant snout above the surface of the water in an attempt to reach our outstretched hands and arms. Many of our guests and Naturalists were sprayed abundantly almost every time the mother and baby exhaled.
More gray whale watching was made in the afternoon. We enjoyed the presence and acrobatic performance of a young whale, perhaps one or two years old (as we deduced from its size), that breached repeatedly. We finished this wonderful day with a Mexican fiesta onboard the Sea Bird, where Los Coyotes de Magdalena performed ranch music. A delicious dinner offered by the crew of a local restaurant crowned the event.