Once in Magdalena Bay, on the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula, we encountered many pairs of mother and calf gray whales. These whales and their new-born come to rest, nurse and learn to swim in the calm and relatively warm waters of Boca de Soledad. Every year, from December to April, these cetaceans finish their long journey from the Northern Pacific to the tranquil bays along the western coast of Baja California. Here they care for their babies, born either on the journey south or deep in the shallow end of the bay, mate and socialize while the weather improves up north.
Baby whales enjoy the warm waters and pampering from their mother. They swim next to her and occasionally play along her back and close to her spout. She will swim very gently and close to the surface, while baby rides on top. The young one will rest, playfully splash and roll, and every now and then will spy on its visitors. It does this by lying on mother and sticking its head out of the water until the eye reaches the surface and it can see us.
