There's whale watching and then there's whale watching. We've been out in Bahia de Banderas a few times, and seen wonderful whales scattered in the huge bay. The lagoons at San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre are huge, warm, high in salinity, and prime nurseries for gray whales. At the height of the season, more than 1200 whales come to give birth. Some had already started the migration back to Alaska, but the lagoon was still full of whales. You can see whales from the sand dunes, shining grey humps on the water, catching a little nap while the water is calm. You can see lazy spouts in every direction, and hear the exhales.
The day before had been hot, so the day dawned foggy. We had heard to be prepared for the boat to leave at any time in the morning, but it was almost 11:30 before we set off with our guide, Sirena, and our lanchero. We didn't need to stop at our first sighting; the whales were everywhere, with their calves swimming playfully beside the mothers. Many were still napping, so after visiting a few, we headed farther out the lagoon to a small shoal.
The tide was moving out, creating a line of small breakers. This was obviously the whale playground, where the mothers were teaching their young to swim against a strong current. There were at least 20 mothers out here. We drifted in the area to see if there were any curious whales out there. Sure enough, one mother and calf came right up to the boat, where we could reach out and pet them. They loved spouting just when we were leaning over them. The baby smelled fresh, but the mother's spout definitely smelled more fishy. The baby nurses all the time in the lagoon, but the mother doesn't have a food source until she starts to head back north.
They stayed with us for about 10 minutes, coming up for a scratch, swimming from side to side, bumping the boat, rolling slightly sideways so they could look us in the eye. When this pair left, several others came near us, but not near enough to pet. They would swim around us, and under us, and spout. Now that was whale watching.
From there, we wanted to head north and back to the other side again. There's a small dirt road that cuts off Mex1, we had heard that it was rather rough, and we were hoping to get to the other side before dark. Even in the Tacoma, it was slow going. 60 km in 2 hours, on a rocky road. At times there are side roads in the sand adjacent to the main, raised road. These were faster and far more comfortable in places. The road wound through the coastal mountains, and eventually out to Bahia de Gonzaga. White sand, islands, crisp clear water and air.
We stayed at Papa Fernandez the first night. Well, it's another one that has seen better days, but the campsite was on the edge of the dunes, and we could listen to the waves lap the shore. We ate dinner at the little restaurant, not even sure if it was open. They were "closing " at 8. It was then 7. So I guess they were opening for us. Fantastic chile rellenos, and photos on the wall of John Wayne and Papa Fernandez from the '60's. Baja in the old days. Yet certainly less changed here than in most every other part of the world.
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