Magdalena Bay, Baja California
Today we planned to go out in Zodiacs to watch pairs of gray whales, instead of spotting them from the deck of the Sea Lion. I always loved observing whales from a Zodiac, which is a small inflatable boat that holds about ten people. Zodiacs usually get closer, being lower to the water. I was in one named the “Mighty Owl”
Gray whales have a longer migration route than any other mammal on earth. They travel 6,000 miles, from Alaska, their feeding grounds, to Baja California, their breeding grounds. Magdalena Bay is a place where nearly 100 gray whales travel to during the winter.
The calves were surprisingly friendly, apparently more so than most other whales. A calf gently swam in front of us, or under our bow every once in a while. At one point, my fingers just barely skimmed the skin of the whale. “I touched it!” We decided to stay and observe a calf and her mother for awhile. It was amazing, what soon occurred. The calf went right up to our Zodiac and stuck its head out of the water for us to stroke, which many people started to do, without hesitation. Every few moments, the mother, rather than trying to get between us and her calf, sometimes encouraged it to seek our attention. The mother was friendly too, and occasionally swam close enough for a few strokes.
The whales stayed at our side for ten minutes while another Zodiac, noting our luck with these whales, joined in on the action. The calf went immediately to the other boat, and then did the same thing with the third Zodiac. The experience was an event that united us. If someone were to take that memory away from me it would be one of the most hurtful things someone could do. I was willing to call this whole expedition the best that I have ever taken.
Today we planned to go out in Zodiacs to watch pairs of gray whales, instead of spotting them from the deck of the Sea Lion. I always loved observing whales from a Zodiac, which is a small inflatable boat that holds about ten people. Zodiacs usually get closer, being lower to the water. I was in one named the “Mighty Owl”
Gray whales have a longer migration route than any other mammal on earth. They travel 6,000 miles, from Alaska, their feeding grounds, to Baja California, their breeding grounds. Magdalena Bay is a place where nearly 100 gray whales travel to during the winter.
The calves were surprisingly friendly, apparently more so than most other whales. A calf gently swam in front of us, or under our bow every once in a while. At one point, my fingers just barely skimmed the skin of the whale. “I touched it!” We decided to stay and observe a calf and her mother for awhile. It was amazing, what soon occurred. The calf went right up to our Zodiac and stuck its head out of the water for us to stroke, which many people started to do, without hesitation. Every few moments, the mother, rather than trying to get between us and her calf, sometimes encouraged it to seek our attention. The mother was friendly too, and occasionally swam close enough for a few strokes.
The whales stayed at our side for ten minutes while another Zodiac, noting our luck with these whales, joined in on the action. The calf went immediately to the other boat, and then did the same thing with the third Zodiac. The experience was an event that united us. If someone were to take that memory away from me it would be one of the most hurtful things someone could do. I was willing to call this whole expedition the best that I have ever taken.
