Have
you ever dreamed of going on a whale watching adventure? We have, and we were about to make our dreams come true. We
planned a winter trip to Baja Mexico to coincide with the arrival of the Gray Whales, or
the “friendlies” as they are known. These intelligent, loving creatures embark
on a grand journey that starts in Alaska and ends in the warm waters off the coast of the
Baja peninsula. They make this voyage in order to mate and give birth in either the bays
of the Pacific or the Sea of Cortez.
If
you are among the lucky individuals who go on a whale watching, no let’s call that a
whale interacting tour, then you might be blessed with a rare opportunity to touch one of
these magnificent animals. Luckily, we were so blessed. We will never forget the intense
feeling of mutual admiration and compassion that passes between whale and human when you
touch their skin or look into their eyes.
Okay,
this is how we did the tour. We based our excursions from Cabo San Lucas, BCS. We decided
that would be a good place to sight see and we knew that you could find tours from the
city to the bays where the whales were. After reading about the different bays we decided
to visit Bahia Magdalena. We booked our trip through an adventure tour company called
Aereo Calafia. This turned out to
be an excellent choice! Everyone involved in the trip was informative and very kind. The
trip starts with a flight to Lopez Mateos on a Cessna plane. The flight is about an hour
long and the view is spectacular! You can see the coastline, the desert, the mountains,
and often times you can see whales cruising along the shore. Our guide for the trip,
Fernando, points out the more interesting sights and provides everyone with refreshments
on the flight. Fernando was an awesome tour guide! He was eager to answer any of our
questions and he truly enjoyed the whales himself. He was a wealth of knowledge on their
behavior and physiology. He was fluent in Spanish and English and a credit to his
profession. We would like to thank him again for a wonderful time! Thanks Fer!
Once
the plane landed in Lopez Mateos the group boards a “taxi” type truck that takes
you to the dock. From here you get ready to head to the boats. You are provided with life
jackets and then you board the panga boats. Pangas are Mexican fishing boats that are
about 20 feet long. They put 5 to 6 people in each boat. Our boat driver was Arturo, and
he did a great job of spotting the whales and getting us close to them without disturbing
their natural behavior. We cruised around Magdalena Bay for about 5 minutes before we
spotted a whale. We observed them doing different behaviors such as spy hopping,
breaching, deep diving(tail extended above water) and spouting. It was amazing! But the
best was yet to come!
The
anticipation and wondering about how close you would be able to get to a whale was one of
the most exciting aspects of this trip. Just when you would think that you were going to
get lucky, the whales would disappear below the water. While we were waiting for the
whales to appear we got to know some great people. In our boat were Debbie and her two
sons Cortez and Trevor (Lucas), and their friends Lisa, and Lowell. They were all great
company. Debbie used to work for the tour company so she was a great person to have in our
boat. She very graciously provided us with information on the ballena gris (gray whale).
Our thanks to you too for your kindness and good company!
At
last the moment we had been waiting for was about to happen. We noticed some boats that
had congregated around a mama whale and her baby. We slowly headed over in that direction.
The boat driver was even conscientious enough to turn off the motor and lift the propeller
out of the water when whales were close. As we floated over toward the pair the excitement
filled the air. It was a cloudy day, which made visibility better than if the sun was
shining, and the water was calm. This combination made the likelihood of petting a whale
even greater. Debbie explained that the whales surface far less when the water is choppy.
Let me add that this type of whale watching does not harm the whales. They only allow 3
boats around a whale at any given time and it is the whale that approaches you, not the
boat pursuing the whale. It is believed that the gray whales, particularly the babies are
just as curious about us as we are about them. Hence the term, the friendly whales. I
believe this to be true, after looking into the eyes of a 50 foot whale that is just
hovering beside a 20 foot boat staring back at you. They could at anytime tip the boat
over like it was a toy, if they so desired, and who would blame them after the way our
species has hunted and killed these gentle giants of the sea, but they don’t. Not
once did they even so much as bump the boat, even as they would glide under the panga with
the baby riding on the mother’s back! The feeling of connection that you get when you
interact with these whales is priceless!
Our 3
boats hovered in the water with anticipation. Some people were standing and others were
sitting. All of us wondering when a whale might break the surface. Everyone’s eyes
scanned the bay for any movement, and then you would hear it, a whale blowing the telltale
spout. With a “whoosh” they would announce their presence. People would
reciprocate with “Oohs” and “Aahs” and the clicking of shutters on
cameras, and then it happened. I was kneeling by the side of the boat right when a baby
whale swam towards me, as he dove to go under the boat I reached out and touched his soft
rubbery skin. It was awesome!!! Fernando and everyone in the boat were genuinely excited
for me, and I hoped that they too would get to experience that awesome feeling.
It
wouldn’t take long for everyone in the boat to do just that. We were all lucky that
day! Each of us, except for Trevor who was a little timid being just 7 years old, got to
touch a whale. We couldn’t ask for more than that! After visiting with the whales for
3 hours we headed back to the dock. We were all extremely gratified and still excited. We
all talk about our experience and get each other’s viewpoint. It was a great
experience.
Our next stop was at Cabanas Brisas,
a local restaurant in Lopez Mateos. The food and atmosphere were terrific. You had your
choice of lobster or quesadillas and both looked awesome. The lobster was the freshest
that I have ever tasted and the chips and salsa were to die for! After everyone was done
eating we headed back to the airport and found our pilot Toby waiting for us. The flight
back to Cabo San Lucas is made all the more enjoyable when our pilot, at the request of
Debbie, buzzes a beach where hundreds of sea lions are basking on the shore! We are also able to view hundreds, and I mean
hundreds, of whales swimming and basking along sandbars. It was quite a view! A wonderful
end to a wonderful trip. The Natural Born Hikers Crew highly recommends Aero Calafia for a
once in a lifetime adventure! In fact it was so awesome we decided to do it again! Twice
in the same vacation! It was just as awesome the second time around, although we did not
get to touch the whales. I was lucky enough to get a great picture of a whale’s tail!
Hope you enjoy the photos. Thanks, Pick and Weisey.
