Whale watching at Magdalena Bay
Escaping the extreme cold and the impassable ice cover of the Bering Sea, the Gray Whales find their way south to three Mexican lagoons for calving and breeding. There are several threats for them along their migratory route, including the severe lack of food, the presence of large predators like orcas and sharks, strong currents, big boats full of oil, thousands of propellers, and maybe harpoons from nations that still want to take them.
No matter what is in their way, they keep moving, and we were so fortunate to be with them at Magdalena Bay, in the Pacific shore of south Baja California. Cows with their recently born calves, as well as mating adults and playful youngsters were observed throughout the day in great numbers. We were fascinated not only by their enormous size, but also by the great variety of gray tones that they exhibit on their skin and by their behavior. Breeching, spy-hopping, mating and rolling were just some examples of the wide range of acrobatics they display.
What most amazed us, though, was the unexpected tameness or friendly disposition of some of these whales. The calves were very curious about us, coming close with their mouths opened and showing their tongue and baleen. Many times, they went under the Zodiacs, exploring and perhaps pushing the strange looking black rubber things with their snouts. Apparently the mothers were the ones that encouraged the calves to come close, and always were very close as well. Practically all guests and naturalists were able to observe these gentle giants just a few inches from our hands, and even some were able to touch them.
Eventually, bottle-nosed dolphins joined the frenzy of whale watching, adding a bit of mystery since nobody knows yet why there are associations between these two species of marine mammals. Calves and dolphins have been seen “playing,” and sometimes the mothers have been seen delivering fluke hits to the dolphins. All that we observed in the bay, therefore, was one more day in the life of the gray whales.
Certainly these were unforgettable moments, and for many of us these events will change our lives.
Escaping the extreme cold and the impassable ice cover of the Bering Sea, the Gray Whales find their way south to three Mexican lagoons for calving and breeding. There are several threats for them along their migratory route, including the severe lack of food, the presence of large predators like orcas and sharks, strong currents, big boats full of oil, thousands of propellers, and maybe harpoons from nations that still want to take them.
No matter what is in their way, they keep moving, and we were so fortunate to be with them at Magdalena Bay, in the Pacific shore of south Baja California. Cows with their recently born calves, as well as mating adults and playful youngsters were observed throughout the day in great numbers. We were fascinated not only by their enormous size, but also by the great variety of gray tones that they exhibit on their skin and by their behavior. Breeching, spy-hopping, mating and rolling were just some examples of the wide range of acrobatics they display.
What most amazed us, though, was the unexpected tameness or friendly disposition of some of these whales. The calves were very curious about us, coming close with their mouths opened and showing their tongue and baleen. Many times, they went under the Zodiacs, exploring and perhaps pushing the strange looking black rubber things with their snouts. Apparently the mothers were the ones that encouraged the calves to come close, and always were very close as well. Practically all guests and naturalists were able to observe these gentle giants just a few inches from our hands, and even some were able to touch them.
Eventually, bottle-nosed dolphins joined the frenzy of whale watching, adding a bit of mystery since nobody knows yet why there are associations between these two species of marine mammals. Calves and dolphins have been seen “playing,” and sometimes the mothers have been seen delivering fluke hits to the dolphins. All that we observed in the bay, therefore, was one more day in the life of the gray whales.
Certainly these were unforgettable moments, and for many of us these events will change our lives.
