The Great Migration: The desert Lagoons of Baja Whales

One of the most amazing spectacles of nature is the annual southern migration of East North Pacific Gray Whale that occurs in the Pacific coast of the Baja Peninsula every year. These whales travel more than 6,000 miles through the ice-cold waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas to fertile and nutrient-rich waters of Baja California Sur where they mate, and deliver. It is the greatest recorded movement of any mammal as well as to persons who come to see them it is a life changing experience.

The Three Sacred Lagoons

The path of the gray whale watching Baja ends in three main nursery areas located in the Baja coast. Each of them provides the traveler with a little bit different atmosphere:

Ojo de Liebre (Scammon Lagoon): The largest and northernmost lagoon, this is where most of the whales encounter each other in the friendliest manner and is also where most of the mangrove channels are found. San Ignacio Lagoon: The most important place where most of the whales encounter each other in a very friendly way it is also where most of the mangrove channels are found.

The "Friendly" Phenomenon

The only difference between grey whale watching Baja and other similar ones is how the whales conduct themselves. Gray Whales, previously referred to as devil fish because of their ferocity in fighting off the whalers, in these sheltered lagoons have changed radically and been seen to be swimming actively toward the small panga (skiff) boats, and to be nudging their calves repeatedly against the human beings. This form of friendly conduct is peculiar to these lagoons; the whales appear to seek the acquaintance of new-comers, and they can be feeled by them touching the barnacle-mottled dermis, or examined by seeing directly into the huge and expressive eyes. Biologists are yet to agree on why this is being done, however, much of it can be attributed to the fact that conservation programs have made this a success and there has been the replacement of harpoons by cameras.

A Critical Moment of Conservation The past few years in the Eastern North Pacific have been a case of watchfulness with the marine biologists surrounded by an incredibly resilient population. It is on this basis that scientists are closely monitoring birth rates following a recent Unusual Mortality Event (UME). Now more than ever it is crucial to select a responsible, licensed tour operator. These guides have to abide by the no-wake zones and time limits to give the whales the peace they require to nurse their young and amass the blubber reserves they need to make the journey they have to cover, 6,000 miles, back north.

Preparing Your Meeting The window period on this experience is short and normally falls within the range of late December and mid-April. Nevertheless, the deepest experiences come in February and March when the newly born calves are the most naughty and inquisitive. The experience of visiting these lagoons is an adventure into the wild. Lots of visitors camp in eco-camps on the edge of the lagoon and sleep amidst the dark with the whale blows. It is no more than a sternly beautiful manifestation of our relationship with the deep and the immortality of one of the oldest travelers of the ocean. https://greywhale.com/grey-whale-watching-baja