Boca de Soledad, Baja California Sur, México
We awoke this morning to a blanket of fog in the early hours so thick it prevented the whales from observing us, or us seeing the sunrise with a possible green flash. Some of our guests were in another kind of fog, having stayed up late to watch a tape of the Super Bowl… or having spent the wee hours trying to observe the “green flush” in the privacy of their cabins.
Following breakfast, and an excellent talk on the geologic history of Baja and the Gulf of California, the fog released its hold on this region of Magdalena Bay and fled out to sea to hide for the day. It was time to go hunt the “great milk givers” (which the uninitiated call whales) from our Zodiacs. As half the guests went out in search of the gray whales, the other half landed at the north end of Isla Magdalena near Boca de Soledad (mouth of solitude), a northern entrance to Magdalena Bay.
The seekers of the great whales were not disappointed. Each Zodiac had a series of encounters with gray whales of various kinds. Some whales spy-hopped to get a better look at us (or perhaps just the surroundings)… and us a better look at them. There were cow-calf pairs with the mothers giving their newborns basic training in the skills necessary to survive later in the open ocean. The youngsters seemed more inclined to play, climbing on their mother’s backs or straying over to see dolphins nearby. I guess this is typical of school children of any species.
Some of the whales were seen in mating threesomes consisting of two males and a female, often accompanied by inquisitive dolphin. In at least one Zodiac this sighting initiated some rather amusing talk about one of the two fundamental activities of all species (per Ricketts and Steinbeck)… and I’m not referring to eating!
Those taking the walk through the mangroves and beach dunes at Isla Magdalena were not disappointed either. In addition to a highly diverse assemblage of marine shells washed ashore, we saw ghost and other shore crabs, hermit crabs in oversized auger shells, mako shark and pelican skulls, sands infiltrated with magnetite (an iron oxide), and beautiful dune formations. In the mangroves the influence of fog drip was evidenced in the sand below the trees.
I can’t believe we’re only up to lunch. After our meal, guests returned in groups either to the sea in Zodiacs for further encounters with the great milk givers, or to shore to cross the sand dunes on a nature hike. These activities were once again a success, and all guests and staff returned to the Sea Lion a little wiser… and a little redder from the bright sun.
Evening activities included a band from Lopez Mateos before and after our wonderful dinner. Food this evening included grouper, corbina and a lobster dish all prepared by the owner and staff of the Ballena Gris (Gray Whale) Restaurant in the fishing village. The ship’s store was open for purchasing souvenirs and most retired soon after since whale watching begins again about sunrise tomorrow.
