[CINC] My trip to Baja and close encounters with gray whales

[Catherine French]

Several CINCers have asked me to write about Capt. Lee's and my trip to Baja California Sur this past February and a bit about our adventure and seeing the gray whales and calves up close. It was magical. For more detail call or email me!  To see photos, please go to my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php Catherine French
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Capt. Lee Fleischer and I spent a wonderful week on the Sea of Cortez and in Bahia Magdelena on the west coast of Baja California Sur. The opportunity for this special trip arose through Lee’s connection with Lindblad National Geographic excursions as he is an Expedition Leader each year for a month in Southeast Alaska and on the Columbia River. 
 
We flew from LAX and spent a lovely couple of hours in La Paz at an old hacienda (built in the late 1700s) turned restaurant, where we were entertained by Mariachis and the State folkloric dance champions who performed authentic dances from Baja California. 
 
We were bused to our 152-foot ship Sea Bird at the La Paz Marina and spent 7 days exploring the Sea of Cortez, the desert and sighting a variety of sea mammals like blue, humpback, fin and gray whales and dolphins: common, bottlenose and, vaquitas. We  kayaked and hiked the desert and, Lee swam with California sea lions at Isla de Los Islotes. We had a hike and gourmet picnic dinner at a beach offshore of Loreto called Honeymoon Bay with an incredible sunset and made s'mores over a camp fire.
 
After a striking sunset view of the land’ss end or Finisterra Beach at the tip of Baja—Cabo San Lucas, we entered La Boca de (the mouth of) Bahia Magdalena. During our slow cruise in the Hull Canal, we counted 30 cow/calf pairs and 17 to 20 individual adult gray whales in the 45-minute transit to our anchorage.
 
The next morning we boarded 19-foot Zodiacs and hit the sand dune island to the west, hiking across to the Pacific Ocean and Sand Dollar Beach. The “Pacifica” was truly pacific that day, placid really. It was so incredible to visit this part of the coast. I hadn't been there in 40-years and it brought back wonderful memories. On one of the days, we visited the island again and I had a close encounter with one of the island’s coyotes and got some amazing photos of the old fellow who had been asleep when I discovered him. He and I were both a bit startled by the other, but he just slowly walked away after rousing himself from his afternoon snooze.
 
The next morning we had our first ‘up close and personal’ meeting with gray whales and calves from our Zodiac with a pongera on board. The only way to be able to view the whales from a boat is either in a ponga  (little boat—usually metal skiff—driven by a licensed pongera ) or in our case, with a  pongera on board our Zodiac.
 
Mexico was the first country to protect whales from hunting back in the 1940s. This bay is protected as are the other two lagoons—San Ignacio and Scammons—from whaling as well as just anyone going to peer at these gentle giants and their offspring.
 
We had three opportunities to get in the Zodiacs and get within touching distance of these wonderful creatures. A trio of cows and their three calves came over to us one morning—it was like a play date. First they let the babies come visit then the cows came in – all three – and swam back and forth right underneath our little inflatable! We could see every mark, barnacle and lice on each animal and recognize the same whale later with these patterns in mind.
 
The biggest thrill for me was being close enough to not only touch them, but to observe the new born calves and moms touching each other and playing like human moms and babies do. It was a thrill of a life time..







Sincerely, 
Catherine French
cfrench1366 at aol.com 
805.815.3523
805.570.0432 mobile

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