Clear skies and a cool damp breeze blew over the ship at dawn. We were anchored in the Pacific just outside the entrance to San Ignacio Lagoon. Calm seas not only gave us a very gentle rocking motion but it allowed our pangeros, the local boat drivers, to reach the ship and for us to enter the lagoon. We came here to see the last of the gray whales and their calves before they make their way north along the west coast. Most of them will reach the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas in the arctic. Plentiful food there covers the top few inches of the seafloor. Thousands will stop somewhere along the way to feed at river mouths, in kelp forests and coastal coves, and protected waters. Some calves will also be taken by Biggs killer whales as they cross the deep Monterey Canyon and a narrow passage in the Aleutian Islands. For now most have left Magdalena Bay and stopped here for a rest with their calves. Others have not quite gained the strength to leave San Ignacio Lagoon.
We ventured off for two outings of whale watching in the morning and two in the afternoon. Although the waves were large enough to give us a bumpy ride, and the breeze made it challenging to keep everyone dry, there were lots of cow/calf pairs to watch. Calves often seemed curious about our rubber boats and today certain mothers were quite tolerant about letting them investigate. One calf seemed entertained by pushing a boat around from underneath the bow. Its mom tolerated the fun but was always nearby with a watchful eye. A few calves breached repeatedly but tired easily until they could accomplish only a small forward leap.
Our day passed all too quickly, but it was full of great interactions with cow/calf pairs, something we had all hoped for.
