After a transit north through excited Pacific Ocean waters, National Geographic Sea Bird arrived at the mouth of San Ignacio Lagoon located on the western flank of the Baja California peninsula. A winter sanctuary of the eastern Pacific gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), the lagoon is part of the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, Latin America’s largest wildlife sanctuary, established by Mexico in 1988.
Our goal for the day was to see gray whales, and gray whales we saw—but not before National Geoographic Sea Bird’s intrepid guests showed their dedication to the spirit of exploration by taking a mile-long ride over unsettled seas to meet our local Panguero captains inside the calm waters of the bay. Panga is the term for the local style of fiberglass fishing boats, and Panguero’s are the people who drive them. Our local Panguero guides told us that there are currently 150 to 200 gray whales in the bay getting ready for their migration north to the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. During the mornings session in the lagoon we were treated to spectacular sightings of spy-hopping, head-slapping, and fluking behavior, along with some friendly behavior of whales coming to visit within arm’s reach of the boat.
After lunch, we returned to the lagoon where the seas had calmed down, and so had the whales. The numerous sightings we were blessed with during the morning made us realize how lucky we had been—as all but a handful of the whales seemed to have disappeared. Fortunately we will spend the night at our anchorage outside the lagoon to look for more whales in the morning!
