Face to Face with the Grey Whale

It is a cold and cloudy morning of March and we are in Guerrero Negro. We are getting ready to head to the Ojo de Liebre lagoon to start our quest for the grey whale that visits every year the coasts of Baja California Sur to mate and give birth. 

The vehicle picks us up very early at our hotel and then we meet our naturalist guide who tells us a little bit about the history of Guerrero Negro, the salt mine, fishing and its link to the grey whales.

After a bit less than 30 minutes, driving in the middle of the salt mine, we arrive to the port where we board our boat to start our journey in search of the grey whale.  We started cruising through the Ojo de Liebre lagoon between huge ships that are loaded with tons of salt every day. On the coast we can spot the dunes of La Soledad. 

As we get close to the mouth of the lagoon we start seeing in the distance the whales´ gushes of water and steam, and occasionally some heads surfacing checking out their surroundings or “spy hopping”.   The boat dropped down its speed and with it the noise of the engine, we noticed how a whale started getting closer to us and stopped only a few meters away, exhaled through its blowhole as if saying “hello” and the steam and water reached our faces like a breeze. The guide was telling us how friendly these whales are, and although we were skeptical at the beginning, after that first blow, we knew he was right.

But it wasn't one whale, it was two whales! A mother was teaching its newborn calf to swim and breath around the channels of the lagoon.   The calf, curiously came closer the boat and it was on several occasions we could touch and pet it, like it was a pup. And although this not always happens, it was for sure the highlight of our adventure.   The whales swam around the boat interacting in a fascinating way with each other and their calves, making us think and reflect on their cognitive capabilities and their own perception of us humans.  These whales will start heading north to Alaska when the winter is over.