Today we woke up to a beautiful and slightly cloudy sunrise in Magdalena Bay aboard National Geographic Venture. We picked up anchor and sailed a short distance for an early docking at San Carlos, where our coaches awaited. We took a short bus ride up the Baja California Sur peninsula to the small town of Lopez Mateos. Here we boarded pangas and set out into the shallow lagoons in search of mother and calf grey whales. It wasn’t long before we saw our first spouts in the distance. We observed a mother with a baby that was only a few weeks old. The mother was teaching her young one how to swim against a current in preparation for their long migration north in a few months. These majestic creatures have the longest migration of any mammal on the planet. To see them in their natural habitat is truly remarkable.
We then headed to a local restaurant, where we had an amazing buffet and were treated to music by Los Coyotes, a local band. Then we headed back out for a second round of whale watching in these pristine and protected lagoons.
The afternoon proved to be incredible as we watched another mother and calf pair. The calf was incredibly playful and rolled, spyhopped, and jumped on top of the mother. We observed this for a full hour as the soft light fell. As an added treat as we zipped back towards the dock alongside the picturesque sand dunes, we spotted a lone coyote. It posed for us as we snapped photos of the beautiful animal. Today was truly one for the record books, a day that will not soon be forgotten.
