The landscapes of Magdalena Bay slowly and subtly shifted as we made our way from Almejas, through the Hull Canal, toward the northern limit of the bay. Open ocean gave way to coastal mangroves intertwined with towering sand dunes. The bay itself also changed, transitioning from deep, turbulent waters to shallow lagoons. For us, this meant more opportunities to observe the gray whale mother-and-calf pairings that call this bay home for the winter. We took advantage of this unique opportunity to watch these whales before they swim north. We spent the entire day whale watching from our expedition landing crafts. We saw calves playfully interacting with their mothers, spy-hopping whales—even a full breaching. All this before a dramatic sunset behind the dunes.