Whale Watching in Baja Lagoons Your Ultimate Guide to Marine Giants in Mexico in the Marine Sanctuaries along the Coasts

Whale Watching in Baja Lagoons is one of the most personal and amazing wild marine life experiences on earth. Baja California Mexico has a network of preserved coastal lagoons that have become important nursery areas of the gray whale’s humpback whales and blue whales which migrate thousands of miles to the refuge in each year. Along the untouched wilderness of San Ignacio Lagoon to the broad channels of Magdalena bay these extraordinary ecosystems allow unmatched opportunities to see mothers with newborn calves underwent courtship and enjoy the notorious cordial whale experiences that have turned Baja lagoons into a household name among the wildlife admirers and enthusiasts of nature all over the world.

Whale Lagoons of Unique Geography Baja.

The Baja peninsula has an amazing chain of shallow coastal lagoons and sheltered bays which form the perfect environment to reproduce and raise the calves in whales. These lagoons are defined by warm stagnant waters with large zones with shallow waters with restricted tidal stages and natural shield against the oceanic waves and predators. These lagoons are also among the most significant whale nursery habitats in the Northern Hemisphere due to the combination of optimal water temperature that averages between 68 and 72 degree Fahrenheit and extensive food sources that the surrounding waters provide with the least disturbance by people. Geographic isolation and relatively restricted access to most of these lagoons has helped in their maintenance in their pristine state and the maintenance of the extraordinary wildlife interactions that can be found within their boundaries.

The main Whale species in Baja Lagoons.

The most recognizable and the most abundant cetacean species in Baja lagoons in winter times are gray whales. Each year, about 15000 to 20000 gray whales leave Arctic feeding areas and travel to the safe seas of Baja where they give birth and nurse young ones before regaining strength to travel back to the North. The San Ignacio Magdalena Bay and the Scammons lagoons offer the best places to breed gray whales due to the shallow guarded waters where the calves born can easily rise up to the surface and acquire necessary swimming and breathing abilities.

Humpback Whales

Humpback whales are known to proliferate the deep channels and outer lagoons in the Baja California especially in the sea of Cortes. These performing dolphins are characterized by amazing breaching behaviors, elaborate vocalizations and unusual surface mannerisms. Whereas humpback whale likes deep waters compared to gray whales, these whales can be occasionally seen in the entrance of the lagoons and other coastal areas during winter time when whales are breeding.

The Famous Lagoons to Whale Watching San Ignacio Lagoon.

San Ignacio Lagoon has been the jewel of the crown as regards whale watching destinations in Baja California. One of the largest concentrations of interactive amiable gray whales in the world are found in this UNESCO World Heritage Site that is situated in the core of Vizcaino Desert. The shallow sheltered waters which extend over a distance of about 25 miles long afford the best nurseries and the gray whales here exhibit the greatest accessibility to approach, literally sailing to the little boats and making pleasant contacts with their visitors. The San Ignacio is restricted to maintain the clear environment which needs a permit and strict regulation of rules of conservation.

Magdalena Bay

Magdalena Bay is a great system of channels interconnected islands and mangrove ecosystems in the Pacific coast of the southern part of Baja California. This vast lagoon network serves hundreds of gray whales’ moms with calves during the season and provides the incredible possibilities to observe the practice of nursing behavior playful calf games and maternal instincts protection. Puerto San Carlos town is the main starting point of the whale watching trips, where day trips and multi day trips can be offered.

Scammans Lagoon Laguna Ojo de Liebre.

Scammons Lagoon is the biggest nursery lagoon of the whale watching  in Baja California that can hold more than 1000 gray whales at any given time at the peak season of the winter season. This large low-lying water system is situated in the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve and is critical in the reproduction of whales and the early growth of calves. Organized whale watching tours and visitor education centers are accessible at the eastern shore of the lagoon where the community of Guerrero Negro is living.

Whale Watching Activities and Experiences in Lagoon.

Whale watching in Baja lagoons is a probable activity which involves boat trips in small vessels referred to as pangas, which are capable of sailing in the shallow and calm waters where the whales are found. These small group tours have a size of 6 to 12 people and are guided by competent local captains with a long history of understanding the behavior and ecosystems of whales in the lagoons. The experiences start with the sight of whales spouting and tail finning as they move away in the distance and the amazing opportunities of being brought very close to the whales as curious ones come to the boats enabling the visitors to study the interesting patterns on their skin and look into their ancient expressive eyes.

Whale Watching at Baja Lagoons Best Time to Visit Baja Lagoons.

The best season of whale watching in the Baja lagoons is between mid-January and mid-March when the gray whales have the highest levels of concentration in the breeding and nursery grounds. Visitors who come early in the season, in late December and early January, might be able to see pregnant females arrive and sometimes give birth and visitors who come later in the season, during the month of March and early April, will expect to see mothers preparing a better-made calf to withstand the hard northward migration. The month of February will always provide the best experiences with the whales with the most dependable weather forecasts and high population of whales in the lagoons.

Conservation and Sustainable Tourism in Baja Lagoons

The lagoons of the Baja California are enjoying many conservation protections such as UNESCO World Heritage (Biosphere reserve) and has stringent regulatory frameworks on visitor access and whale watching practices. The responsible tour operators follow laid down standards that restrict the numbers of boats that stay in proper distance without disturbing the whales’ habits and explaining to tourists on conservation of the oceans. The economic benefits of sustainable whale watching tourism generated on the revenue earned by the local communities helps them to protect the critical habitats and funds future research and conservation efforts in the region.

Whale Watching Baja Lagoons can provide a visitor with unique chance to observe one of the most amazing events in nature in some of the clearest and safest marine ecosystems of the world. The underprivilege of witnessing the grey whales’ mothers as they cleanse their newborn calves in these serene shallow waters of these sanctuaries on the coasts forms deep relationship between man and nature. https://www.greywhale.com/grey-whale-watching-baja