Magdalena Bay
It was our last morning of whale watching in Magdalena Bay. The weather was cool, clear and calm and we were eager to get into the Zodiacs and see what story the whales had to tell us today. Those who had been out on the bow in the red and purple light of dawn had already been watching a lot of whale activity nearby the ship. Others in the 100 and 200 level cabins had left their windows open and had been serenaded by whales' explosive blowing throughout the night. The anticipation was palpable aboard the good ship Sea Lion.
Whales, whales, whales…all morning whales!! The waters between the small village of Puerto Lopez Mateos and the lagoon entrance at Boca de Solidad were filled with whales. There were mothers and babies alone or in small groups. Sometimes the youngsters would repeatedly dive beneath the rear half of the mother, probably suckling on mother's enormously fat-rich milk. Other times, a baby would be attracted to one or another of the Zodiacs and lay nearby with its eye riveted to our own. There were also many single adult and sub-adult whales sharing the lagoon with the one-ton infants and their mothers. Although most were swimming steadily against the incoming tidal current, some exhibited more exuberant behavior and spy hopped or breached accompanied by the oohs and aahs and screams of those of us nearby. One young-adult female was particularly attracted to the Zodiacs and spent most of her morning up side down rubbing the bottom of our boats and making friends with the people in these funny floaty toys. Having learned some of the whales' story and always anxious to learn more, we were reluctant to say goodbye. However most of us realized that it is a never-ending story of two mammals meeting, learning to enjoy and respect each other and both parting better for the experience.
After lunch, we weighed anchor and headed south through upper Magdalena Bay, the beautiful sand dunes of Isla Magdalena to starboard and the extensive mangroves of the esteros to port. While transiting the lagoon, we gathered on deck to participate in the "great gray whale count" and came up with 34 mother-young pairs and six single adults--a healthy number of whales for this area. Later in the afternoon, we passed through the winding and scenic Hull Canal and most of us were again out on deck to watch the birds along the mangroves and mudflats and to enjoy the occasional pods of bottlenose dolphins that rode the bow of the Sea Lion. As the day ended, our ship-home arrived at La Entrada, the entrance to Magdalena Bay, where we shared a glorious sunset with our shipmates - surrounded by whales blowing their bushy spouts in celebration of our wonderful journey to Baja and the Sea of Cortez.
It was our last morning of whale watching in Magdalena Bay. The weather was cool, clear and calm and we were eager to get into the Zodiacs and see what story the whales had to tell us today. Those who had been out on the bow in the red and purple light of dawn had already been watching a lot of whale activity nearby the ship. Others in the 100 and 200 level cabins had left their windows open and had been serenaded by whales' explosive blowing throughout the night. The anticipation was palpable aboard the good ship Sea Lion.
Whales, whales, whales…all morning whales!! The waters between the small village of Puerto Lopez Mateos and the lagoon entrance at Boca de Solidad were filled with whales. There were mothers and babies alone or in small groups. Sometimes the youngsters would repeatedly dive beneath the rear half of the mother, probably suckling on mother's enormously fat-rich milk. Other times, a baby would be attracted to one or another of the Zodiacs and lay nearby with its eye riveted to our own. There were also many single adult and sub-adult whales sharing the lagoon with the one-ton infants and their mothers. Although most were swimming steadily against the incoming tidal current, some exhibited more exuberant behavior and spy hopped or breached accompanied by the oohs and aahs and screams of those of us nearby. One young-adult female was particularly attracted to the Zodiacs and spent most of her morning up side down rubbing the bottom of our boats and making friends with the people in these funny floaty toys. Having learned some of the whales' story and always anxious to learn more, we were reluctant to say goodbye. However most of us realized that it is a never-ending story of two mammals meeting, learning to enjoy and respect each other and both parting better for the experience.
After lunch, we weighed anchor and headed south through upper Magdalena Bay, the beautiful sand dunes of Isla Magdalena to starboard and the extensive mangroves of the esteros to port. While transiting the lagoon, we gathered on deck to participate in the "great gray whale count" and came up with 34 mother-young pairs and six single adults--a healthy number of whales for this area. Later in the afternoon, we passed through the winding and scenic Hull Canal and most of us were again out on deck to watch the birds along the mangroves and mudflats and to enjoy the occasional pods of bottlenose dolphins that rode the bow of the Sea Lion. As the day ended, our ship-home arrived at La Entrada, the entrance to Magdalena Bay, where we shared a glorious sunset with our shipmates - surrounded by whales blowing their bushy spouts in celebration of our wonderful journey to Baja and the Sea of Cortez.
