Los Titeres, Bahia Magdalena
Sand dunes and gray whales: those were our topics for the day. Late yesterday afternoon we set anchor in Magdalena Bay, a protected inlet on the Pacific coast of the Baja Peninsula, where gray whales are known to migrate to give birth and to mate. We had the opportunity to see firsthand how these gray whales use the sheltered waters to raise their young calves.
We began the morning with a stretch class on the aft bridge deck followed by smoothies and a breakfast buffet. After, it was either a desert walk on the giant sand dunes of Isla Magdalena, a long, narrow stretch of sand and beach with numerous sand dollars and coyote tracks, or a Zodiac cruise in search of the gray whales.
Gray whales are well known throughout the world for their 12,400 mile round-trip journey between their breeding grounds in Baja California, Mexico and their feeding areas northwest of Alaska. They use the protective bays in Mexico to give birth to their young and feed them until the young ones are strong enough to make the journey north to more nutrient-rich waters. By Zodiac we were able to observe the whales, which have been protected since 1946, and watch as the mom and calf pairs turned belly rolls in the choppy surface and occasionally breached fully out of the water. We saw numerous heart-shaped blows, which was encouraging, since the number of gray whales in the past few years has been drastically reduced. Thankfully, though, their population in Magdalena Bay seems to be recovering.
We spent several hours watching and taking picture after picture of the mottled-colored gray whales, then it was time to take a break for lunch. Then we boarded the Zodiacs again for an afternoon of more whale-watching. Those who visited the sand dunes of Isla Margarita had the chance to walk across the Sahara-like landscape and dip their toes in the Pacific Ocean or stroll along the flat, hard-packed shoreline.
Tomorrow we will board the Zodiacs once more for a last chance to observe the gray whales in this protected lagoon. But for now we will enjoy the music from local musicians and a dinner of traditional Mexican cuisine.
