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Daily Journal

The Great Baja Adventure

Day 6 - Gray Whales of Magdalena Bay

The day started off at 6:00 am - the moon still in the sky

We head out, 1.5 hours later
the group stops for breakfast

The sun has just risen and the air still chilled from the night

A beautiful restaurant owner
prepares a typical Mexican breakfast

Fresh squeezed orange juice, beef
burritos and fresh made goat cheese quesadillas

After breakfast a little exercise to sober up the old limbs

Bathroom break

Then of course, there is always the
one who says "you've got to be joking"!
(actually I'm just joking I had to put the picture in)

Finally we arrive on the docks at Mag Bay

Lifejackets secured, hats, sunglasses and warm gear.

We're good to go!

Heading out into the lagoon in search of the gray whales

The first gray whale is spotted and it is close by.

We slow the boat and the whale passes by.

The boat is now in neutral and the whale comes alongside.
Close enough to tough. To think, this is just the beginning!

Over on one of the other boats another whale passes by.

Only to surface alongside the
boat so the group can touch the whale.

Finally after a second year of trying,
Brayden touches an angel. A young gray whale.

Over on the third boat, a mom
and her calf head towards the group.

The mom passes by while the baby swims past underwater.

The baby appears and comes close enough for an encounter.

The baby spyhops (sticks it's head out of the water)

to say goodbye as the tide is dropping and they
must leave the shallow part of the lagoon.

The mom and calf head to the mouth of the lagoon
where they will wait out the tide change in the open Pacific.

Windblown and elated. Cathy is
nothing but smiles from cheek to cheek.

Heading back to the docks.

It was an amazing afternoon with the gray whales.

After an afternoon with the whales
we stop at a local restaurant for lunch.

Fresh fish, shrimps and lobster chased with a cold Corona.

On the way back, we stop to explore the desert flora.

The last known creeping devil cactus
found on the southern peninsula.

Naturalist talk on the Agave cactus.

Out cold after a fantastic day with angels and such.

   It was a very early morning. We were up at 5:30 am and in the vans by 6:30 am. Heading out we were all tired but excited by what lay ahead of us. We stopped for breakfast along the way at a well known (if you're Mexican) roadside restaurant. A cheery, beautiful older Mexican woman greeted us and immediately set to work in her kitchen to make us fresh made tortilla burritos and quesadillas while her granddaughter made fresh squeezed orange juice. The goat cheese used in the quesadillas was made on her families little ranchero behind the restaurant. It was quaint and charming.

   After breakfast we headed back onto the highway towards Magdalena Bay at the fishing town of Lopez Mateos - our destination. A couple of hours later we were on the docks itching with anticipation of a life changing experience with the gray whales in one of three of their birthing lagoons.

   We took four pangas and headed out into the lagoon. Unfortunately this is where we lost track of Cathy's two son's Daryl and David and Riny and Jan's son, Paddy. Their panga split and headed to the other side of the lagoon. Later, we found out they had as equally an amazing encounter, with the grays, as we did.

   So as the three pangas arrived deep in the lagoon there were a few whale sightings. As time went on the sightings turned to close passings, then to close encounters where, at least one person, if not all, touched a whale. It is an amazing trust for the mothers to bring their calves close enough for encounters with humans. It is not us chasing them down but rather the whales choosing to allow the encounter to happen. One of few blessings one can encounter in the wild.

    This experience, as a group, will forever be in our hearts.

Day 1 - on the water | Day 2 | Day 3(1) | Day 3(2) | Day 4(1) | Day 4(2) | Day 5

A Day with the Gray Whales of Magdalena Bay | Baja Gifts Program

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