ZOSHA'S WAKE: Whale Watching Part 7- Thar She Blows

When we last met, all of us were loading into the panga to head out to the bay where the momma whales like to show off their new babies to the small strange looking mammal things that stand on two appendages and reach out to caress them with one of the other two appendages hanging off their upper torso.
"Strange creatures these" the whales must think "but kind and loving."

The first momma whale coming close to check us out....

Let me tell you whats going on here......Every October the eastern Pacific Gray Whales start their migration from the frigid Bearing Sea in Alaska to the warm-water lagoons of Baja California. This is supposed to be the longest annual migration of any mammal on the planet earth! The round trip is about 10,000-14,000 miles depending on the exact starting point of the whale. They travel at about 5 miles per hour and average about 75 miles per day. By January the pregnant momma whales have reached the warm lagoons of Baja to have their babies. By February-March the bulk of the population have reached the Baja lagoons and soon they become filled with mother whales and nursing calves, female whales looking for mates, and male whales looking for....well, you know! Around the end of March the females without calves and the males leave and head north to Alaska. Nursing moms and pregnant females are the last to leave around April and sometimes May.
During this late March-April window many people visit the lagoons and are taken out by specially licensed pangueros, boat operators, to the new moms and their babies. What happens next is magic. We go out to where the whales are and turn the motor off and just sit....soon a mother whale will come up and start checking us out. They will swim around the boat and turn on their side to look at you with a huge eye. They will come straight up out of the water and look you over. They will swim up to the boat and nudge it. Then they disappear into the depths. I guess if you meet the mother whales criteria whatever that is in a few minutes she will bring her baby right up to the boat and push it close so everyone can see it and touch it and love on it. It's incredible!!! If you stop and think about it. What new mother does not like to show off her new baby?
After all whales and humans are both mammals....although whales have larger brains....

Swimming up to the boat for a better look-see.....

Coming in closer.....

Closer still.......

Whaddduuuuupppp!!! folks?

Mmmmm.....you guys look OK to me......

Mommas tail as she swam away under the boat......

She swam off a little ways then came up again seemingly to say goodbye......

Next thing you know the momma brought us her baby to see.

Baby Gray Whales are 14 feet long when they are born. This little one was probably 20 feet...!!

Their skin is rubbery like a neoprene wet suit and is covered with fine hair. This little one is loving the attention. He/she would roll up to the boat and close his/her eyes and let everyone rub him/her. This little one loved the attention.

They are almost in the boat with you....it's like they want to seek out our companionship once it is established that there is nothing to fear with us.....