Baja California: Whale Watching and Sea Kayaking

 

  I’m back to frigid Minnesota winter weather after spending several weeks in warm and sunny Baja California and San Diego with my friend, Paula. We were grey whale watching on the western side of the Baja peninsula and sea kayaking on the eastern side. We stayed at a whale camp in the sandy desert right next to Magdalena Bay near the Pacific Ocean for two nights with a family of four from California. We ate wonderful Mexican food and were served appetizers with red wine every evening. We went whale watching in a fishing boat, called a panga twice a day. Our young guide, Mario, was an extremely well informed marine biologist whose specialty is the grey whale. He was participating in a whale count and was taking notes, drawing pictures, and taking photographs to identify the whales. We saw dozens of whales, females and their calves. Every year grey whales migrate between the arctic, way north in Alaska, and Baja California where they breed and have their young. The pregnant females arrive first and have their young in January. We learned that the females have another female accompany her while she is in labor to help lift her near the surface so she can breathe. In the same way, the moms support their young babies to be near the surface. 

I'm in the orange life jacket and Paula is in the blue one.
(Thanks to the outfitter, ROW, for several of the photos.)

The calves were especially curious and would lift their heads straight up, called spy spotting, to look at us. Some pairs were very friendly and swam and dove near the boat and stayed with us for a period of time. Sometimes they swam under the boat and scraped against it to scrape off some of the barnacles and lice that attach themselves to their skin. They also have many scratches and scars that can be used for identification.  We got to pet several pairs, both the moms and the calves; they felt soft, except for the barnacles, which were rough, of course. It was a very moving experience.

That's me in front.

Paula's arm on the left.

 After the whale watching we returned to Loreto on the eastern coast of Baja, spent a night in a hotel, got our clothes washed, and got ready for the sea kayaking part of our trip, this time in the Sea of Cortez in Loreto Bay National Park. Paula and I had sea kayaked together before in British Colombia so we knew that we made a good consistent team, and I had become quite proficient at steering. We were only with one other couple, a very fun and funny couple from Slovakia who lived in Germany. It was quite the luxury trip because the guides put up the tents, and we had boat support carrying food and equipment, which included plastic chairs, tables,  a large tarp for protection from the sun, and cold pop and beer. Again we had appetizers and red wine every night. We camped for four nights, three nights at one site on the Island of Carmen, and then on the small island of Danzante. We had two great guides, Axel and Edgar, who were marine biologists, but also were very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. Everyday, besides about four hours of paddling, we went on hikes into the desert and were informed about the cacti, bushes, and other vegetation. Unfortunately it was the wrong time of year for flowers or fruit on the cacti, although there were a few specimens. The sparkling blues and turquoise colors of the sea were impressive, and one night we had a beautiful sunset with swirling pinks and greys. We kayaked in the morning for several hours to arrive at a beach where we would have lunch. Some days the sun was especially hot and bright. There were sandy and rocky jagged mountains all around us dotted with large and stately cacti, Cardon, Organ Pipe and the smaller Cholla among others. 

 The most exciting day was our second day out. We had paddled several hours further north from our campsite on Carmen, had lunch, and then hiked up a dry riverbed to a cactus forest, huge fat and tall Cardon cacti. As we were returning to the beach, one of the guides came running saying that the boat was being tossed about by the wind and the waves because the wind had come up and the surf was pounding in violently. The waves were indeed big, and the guides quickly packed the boat, and then explained the plan to leave the beach. When there was a break in the waves, we would head out and paddle for all we were worth in order to keep the kayak headed straight into the waves. We did. Valente, the boatman, yelled at us from the boat, “Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!” Once out beyond the surf we needed to turn south so the wind and waves would be on our backs and the large swells would push us back to our campsite. It was great fun and we made it back in no time at all. 

 The next day there were supposed to be high winds again so it was decided that we would stay at the present campsite and go in the boat to do blue whale watching. We were lucky and saw three whales, one close enough to be impressed with the size. We watched the water being sprayed up from the blowholes and the tails pop up when they were diving. We were pursued by several pods of dolphins that followed the boat with synchronized dives, and manta rays jumping high. As the winds came up we returned to the island for a guacamole lunch at a beautiful tranquil bay, first stopping by a point to see blue-footed boobies just like in the Galapagos, and other birds. The following day we paddled to the smaller island of Danzante, a quiet day with bright sun. We were at a lovely bay with a rock window  and later stopped at another beach for a hike up a hillside to have spectacular views of Carmen, Danzante, and the mainland.

Although it never rains in Baja in the winter, it rained as we were paddling to the mainland the last day. The cacti and the bushes were very happy to soak up some rainwater, and the hills turned a lovely shade of green.

 After Baja, we spend three relaxing days in San Diego enjoying the waterfront, several museums in Balboa Park, and the zoo. I had lived there for a year in 1976, and then had been there with my daughters in 1994 so it was fun returning. One of the highlights at the zoo was an okapi with zebra legs and a giraffe head. We especially enjoyed the Mingei International Museum and a wonderful exhibit of black dolls from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. The dolls were made from different textiles. All in all it was a great trip and a very pleasant break from winter.