Please Note: This movie was created by one of the friends we met on our amazing trip to Whale Watching in Mexico. It shows a little about him and the first part of our journey in the desert of Northern Baja. Please, just patiently sit through the first few minutes in order to see our amazing encounter with the whales of Baja, California. At the end, I will tell you how you can arrange an unforgettable trip just like this for you and your family.
Early one morning in March, 2014, ten of us were preparing to leave San Diego before sun up. The anticipation was palpable as we all introduced ourselves, shook hands and piled into the van. Mike, our jovial and conscientious guide carefully loaded our luggage into the back and off we went. We had a 10 hour trip ahead of us to Guerrero Negro on Mexico’s Baja, California peninsula. There is nothing particularly special about this place, it looks like so many towns that are scattered up and down Mexico's Western edge: countless shanties, festooned with black water tanks, roadside food carts, loose dogs foraging for scraps and small businesses, sporting iron window bars.
But Nature has endowed this part of Mexico with a coastal phenomenon unique in all the world. Scammon's Lagoon, which lies due West of Guerrero Negro, is accessible only by a long unpaved road. As our van rumbled down this Bohemian trail, the morning after our arrival, I was underwhelmed by the dry, desert environment leading to this natural wonder. Scrub brush and cactus dominated the landscape, but they eventually surrendered to the chilly waters of the Pacific as we approached the lagoon. A combination of ocean currents, geological formations and an abundance of food make this the favorite place on America's Pacific coast for the California Grey Whales to bring the next generation into the world. Furthermore, mothers and calves remain in this lagoon several months as the young one's get strong enough to make their first Summer journey North to arctic feeding grounds.
A small "panga boat" would provide our passage into the dark, mysterious waters of the lagoon, as we anxiously donned our life jackets and made our way across the water. The frigid air kissed our cheeks, as the morning chill and an over abundance of adrenalin set the mood for a once in a lifetime encounter with one of Nature's most majestic leviathans. Our boat captain ferried us to a point in the lagoon, from which the land was barely visible. He cut the engine and we waited. It wasn't long before one of our group spotted a water spout on the horizon. "That's it!" Said the captain. Suddenly, spouts were emerging from everywhere, we realized we were surrounded by maybe hundreds of Gray Whales, lurking in the water, just below our boat.
To help you wrap your mind around the incredible size of these gentle creatures, they can reach up to 40 tons in weight and 50 feet in length, with females being slightly larger than males. After a 12-13 month gestation, calves are born, weighing in at around a ton. Whale mothers are of course very protective of their young and if she perceived that we meant harm to either of them, she would no doubt flip our boat with a single whack of her massive flukes. But that has never happened here. In fact, in a miracle of species interaction, Scammon's Lagoon, (which is also known by the locals as "Ojo de Liebre", or "Eye of the Rabbit"), is the only place in the world where adult whales will not only approach the boat, but encourage their young to come in close, to be touched by humans. This is why we all spent hundreds of dollars and devoted days to travel to this otherwise, insignificant inlet, on the coast of Baja. To have a chance to be near and possibly even lay our hands on this gentle giant of the deep.
Our captain told us that over the past several years, the winter population in the lagoon had been rising. This year, it was estimated that as many as 1400 pregnant or nursing mothers were swimming somewhere in the lagoon. All of the males had already headed North, making their way back to the Arctic. There were numerous spouts appearing all around us now, raising our anticipation to a fever pitch. Some whales were beginning to breach only yards away while others writhed just below us, their unique pattern of barnacles passing quickly under the boat.
Everyone was vocalizing to the whales now, as if to entice a shy fawn to feed from our hand. "Come on sweetie, come on!" "Over here, we love you. Let us see your baby!" Suddenly, a huge mother and calf appeared right next to us. Their exhaled bubbles exploding out of the dark waters, then dissolving into a mist which landed on our faces.
The entire group began lurching from one side of the boat to the other, as the whales seemed to tease us, currying our attention. At first, they were just out of reach, some of our group so excited at the spectacle, they almost fell into the water in an effort to make contact with our gentle visitors. And in spite of their massive size, both mother and baby were acutely aware of their proximity to our vessel. The calf was clearly following her mother's cues as they inched closer and closer, eventually brushing up against our hull. Luckily the small boat had barely two feet of draft above the water, which was reduced to almost nothing as every possible soul crowded along the gunwales, laying their hands on the rubbery skin of the whales.
We had heard that the mother whale actually places her body under that of her calf, raising her out of the water to place her within reach of our human hands and that is exactly what began to happen. The calf's entire upper body was now exposed, she gazed upon us with her eye, as we all cooed in delight. Then, alternatively, the mother would rise to the surface, raising her massive snout out of the water, releasing a tremendous burst of air and letting us pet her to our heart's content.
We spent more than two hours visiting with our pelagic friends, completely immersed in the experience. I'm sure none of us gave a moment's thought to the trials and tribulations that remained back home on the mainland. Women were giddy with excitement and grown men were moved to tears by our other-worldly encounter.
The love, trust and compassion that we shared, left a collective memory on each of our psyche's. And even if we never meet again, what we felt on that day, bonds us all together in a way that few other human experiences could. Nature, in all her beauty and vastness is the great healer.
If only for that afternoon, I am sure that each of us, was quietly reminded of the simple and yet profound truth of our existence. Even in the most trying moments of our human lives, if we will only remember our genuine connection to the natural world and how it embraces and supports us, there is no difficulty we cannot rise above.
For more information on how to book a tour like this, please contact my good friend Mike Essery at Baja Custom Tours. (www.bajacustomtours.com) 619-886-4116
He will ensure that you have an unforgettable, life-transforming experience.
-Shane Eric Mathias
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