Gray Whales Baja Your Ultimate Adventure Guide to Watching the Protected Lagoons of the Gentle Giants in Baja California

Gray Whales Baja is one of the best and the closest wildlife experiences that can be offered anywhere on our organized planet. Each winter thousands of Eastern Pacific gray whales make the longest migration of any mammal of more than 12000 miles round trip between their Arctic food grounds and the warm sheltered lagoons of Baja California Mexico. These great animals have made the distant waters of the coasts of Baja a global attraction to marine life lovers researchers and families who want to have real and memorable relationships with the mildest and most inquisitive ocean creatures in the world.

The Gray Whale Migration to Baja

The migration of the gray whales to Baja California in a year is among the most marvelous nature events. In October grey whales leave their summer feeding ground in the Bering and Chukchi seas and move south along the Pacific coast at an average speed of about 5 miles per hour. By the first of December the gray whales are already arriving in the safe breeding lagoons of Baja where they will spend three or four months and calve, nursing and preparing their young to the long journey they will be making back to the Arctic seas.

This unbelievable migration has been caused by the fact that the whales have to give birth in the warm and calm waters where newborn calves have the best chance of survival due to the thick layer of their blubbers that are not present in the other parts of the world where there are whales.

Unique Behaviors of Gray whales in Baja

Gray whales in Baja California display some exceptionally unique and interactive behaviors that are known to be absent in other parts of the world where whales can also be found. Friendly whale encounters have become a phenomenon that has made the lagoons of Baja to be well known internationally. Even the adult gray whales and mothers with young calves often come close to small boats to start playful and gentle contacts with human visitors. These inquisitive cetaceans tend to be near the ships that have visitors who are allowed to see their barnacle covered skin massive flukes that have expressive eyes and even rub their rubbery textured bodies kindly. This is an unbelievable conduct that scientists and naturalists have been researching on and which seems to be acquired and transmitted across generations of gray whale mothers to their calves.

Premier Gray Whale Destinations in BajaSan Ignacio Lagoon.

San Ignacio Lagoon is the jewel of the crown of the gray whales Baja destinations in Baja California. It is one of the largest concentrations of friendly gray whales in the world making this a pristine UNESCO world heritage site. The shallow sheltered waters of San Ignacio offer the most favorable rearing grounds and the whales here are the most engaging and amiable in any population of gray whales. The journey to San Ignacio is through frozen desert scenery hence the experience is even more one of exclusivity.

Magdalena Bay

The Magdalena Bay covers a huge system of channels and islands and mangrove lined waterways of the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur. It is a vast system of bays that sustain hundreds of grey whale mothers and calves every year. The shallow placid waters permit close observations of nursing activities that violate activity and the charming play between the protective mothers and the frolicsomea. Puerto San Carlos town is the major base point of whale watching tours in Magdalena Bay. Scammons Lagoon Laguna Ojo de Liebre.

Laguna Ojo de Liebre or Scammons Lagoon is also the largest nursery lagoon of grey whales in the State of Baja California.

This expansive shallow lagoon is found within the safe confines of the Vizcaino biosphere reserve capable of supporting over 1000 gray whales at the same time during the high season. Gray Whales Conservation and Protection. Gray whales were once commercially hunted to the verge of extinction in the 19th and early 20th century lagoon. It was only in 1946 that the population in the Eastern Pacific was legally protected and was left with a few thousand people. The population of the Eastern pacific gray whales has astonishingly revived in the present day with a population of about 20000-25000 creatures and it is regarded as one of the biggest stories of conservation success in the history of marine mammals. 

Best Time to Visit Gray Whales Baja

Mid January to mid March is the best time of the year to see grey whales Baja as this is the time of year when the largest numbers of whales can be found in the breeding areas. December and January visitors can be able to see pregnant animals and watch real births whereas March and early April visitors can see mothers training their now stronger calves to go north. Whales Every month, there is a larger number of whale sightings consistent and most of the whales are quite friendly and are more likely to join a panga boat, which is a small boat outing with a crew of 6-12 people operated by a professional guide.

These are shallow draft ships that can reach the inner lagoons where the gray whales have formed a herd. The experiences may be as remote as watching whales as they spout and fluking, or as close as whales nosing into boats as they get nose to nose. It is an unpredictable magical experience every time you meet them and the experience of human connection with them is different. To plan your gray whale adventure, it is best to pack waterproof clothes, sun protection cameras, wonder and respect of the privilege of getting into the nursery of the whales.

Whales in Baja Most of the grey whale viewing activities in Baja are focused on small fishing communities such as Puerto Lopez Mateos in the access to Magdalena Bay and the remote camp operations of the whales.

Whales in Baja

San Ignacio Lagoon. Multi day packages usually cover transportation with such larger cities as La Paz or Loreto lodging with trips and meals with various whale watching tours. Some of the locations have day trip options, but longer stays are the most flexible in terms of having numerous encounters and greater appreciation of the gray whale experience. https://greywhale.com/grey-whale-watching-baja