Thanks for taking us along for the ride--or the float and blow, as it were! I miss the Sea of Cortez and the whales there in winter (plus the sea turtles and the sea lions and the frigate birds and pelicans, and the columnar cacti--the whole sea-meets-desert place). Glad you got to experience it!
Sadly we didn't see sea turtles or sea lions but plenty of frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, and caracara! Tis indeed lovely to be where the sea meets the desert!
If you ever have a chance to go back for a week or so, Baja Expeditions' camp on Isla Espiritu Santo, off La Paz, is magical. We saw whale sharks just leaving the harbor, and the wonders continued from there. (I took a group of writers there the week between Christmas and New Year's in 2009/2010.)
I was in Loreto last week myself! Cute little Mexican town. However, I was not there to see the blue whales. Instead it was just a starting and ending point to see the gray whales at San Ignacio Lagoon (about a 6 hour drive). We stayed in a camp on the beach (we went with a group affiliated with the World Wildlife Fund). If you are not already familiar with this magical place, I highly recommend it. You hop in a small boat from the beach and go sit in part of the lagoon (it is all highly regulated and only a small part of the lagoon is accessible to the boats). There are over 100 whales in the lagoon (mating, birthing, but not feeding). As pointed out by Steven Swartz (a scientist who has been studying them since the 1970s and was staying nearby and visited us every morning), most of the whales are uninterested in the boats, but perhaps 10% are bored and very curious about the boats. They swim right up to the boat for a head scratch (they are very tactile creatures). Just an awe-inspiring experience to have a 50 foot creature (3 times the size of the boat and quite capable of crushing it) interact in this way and ask to be scratched and petted! The primitive camps on the beach that support this are encouraged by the researchers and government: they provide eco-friendly jobs for the small local community and funding for the ongoing research.,
Rick, wow sounds amazing. And, a small world. Perhaps we passed on the street or at the place with really good ice cream! We also went over to the Pacific Ocean side to see gray whales. We went out of Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos and had some lovely encounters with the whales. Super fun to watch a baby with mom! David
Excellent post. Check out the book below regarding what happens to a blue whale after death.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743859/life-after-whale-by-lynn-brunelle-illustrated-by-jason-chin/
Thanks for taking us along for the ride--or the float and blow, as it were! I miss the Sea of Cortez and the whales there in winter (plus the sea turtles and the sea lions and the frigate birds and pelicans, and the columnar cacti--the whole sea-meets-desert place). Glad you got to experience it!
Sadly we didn't see sea turtles or sea lions but plenty of frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, and caracara! Tis indeed lovely to be where the sea meets the desert!
If you ever have a chance to go back for a week or so, Baja Expeditions' camp on Isla Espiritu Santo, off La Paz, is magical. We saw whale sharks just leaving the harbor, and the wonders continued from there. (I took a group of writers there the week between Christmas and New Year's in 2009/2010.)
Where were the whale sharks headed? Thanks for the tip.
Hah hah! We were leaving the harbor. They were feeding quietly below us. My imprecise language.... ;)
David,
I was in Loreto last week myself! Cute little Mexican town. However, I was not there to see the blue whales. Instead it was just a starting and ending point to see the gray whales at San Ignacio Lagoon (about a 6 hour drive). We stayed in a camp on the beach (we went with a group affiliated with the World Wildlife Fund). If you are not already familiar with this magical place, I highly recommend it. You hop in a small boat from the beach and go sit in part of the lagoon (it is all highly regulated and only a small part of the lagoon is accessible to the boats). There are over 100 whales in the lagoon (mating, birthing, but not feeding). As pointed out by Steven Swartz (a scientist who has been studying them since the 1970s and was staying nearby and visited us every morning), most of the whales are uninterested in the boats, but perhaps 10% are bored and very curious about the boats. They swim right up to the boat for a head scratch (they are very tactile creatures). Just an awe-inspiring experience to have a 50 foot creature (3 times the size of the boat and quite capable of crushing it) interact in this way and ask to be scratched and petted! The primitive camps on the beach that support this are encouraged by the researchers and government: they provide eco-friendly jobs for the small local community and funding for the ongoing research.,
Rick, wow sounds amazing. And, a small world. Perhaps we passed on the street or at the place with really good ice cream! We also went over to the Pacific Ocean side to see gray whales. We went out of Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos and had some lovely encounters with the whales. Super fun to watch a baby with mom! David
Great David !