Magdalena Bay
This Valentine’s Day our hearts were stolen away by California gray whales…. a lot of them. The lagoon here at the northern end of Isla Magdalena appears to be filled with whales. We are at the height of the gray whale season in the Baja California lagoons and, well, life here is very, very good.
Our whole day was spent out in Zodiacs with whales all around us. There were mother whales swimming with their young ones, with the babies riding on the mom’s heads or backs and sliding or rolling off, and curious whales swam up to and then under the boats. Lines of adult whales surfaced with rainbow blows suddenly alongside the boats, startling all of us as we wondered which way to look. Many of us saw the whales do some exciting behavior like spy hops or breaching. The weather was calm and pretty much perfect, and the afternoon hikes across the dunes to the Pacific Ocean exquisite. What a truly spectacular day!
Melodies of cheerful Mexican ranchero music drifted from the upper deck and across the water as the last of the happy whale watchers boarded the National Geographic Sea Bird late in the afternoon. Our whale fiesta began as the Coyotes de Magdalena, a local musical combo that has been playing for us for more than a decade, entertained while margaritas and seviche were enjoyed out on deck as the sun made long shadows over the dunes. We all enjoyed a feast of Mexican specialties and relaxed with more music and our memories of a fine, fine day among the desert whales.
