Albert Einstein once said “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Here at Sea Kayak Adventures, we believe that our guests deserve to have the best experiences to understand nature. Imagine a unique place where everything comes together to understand the true value of sustainability, and best of all, in the company of gray whales! Well, for a couple of months I call that place HOME.
My home is located on Santo Domingo Island, the northern-most island of Magdalena Bay. Magdalena Bay is an exceptional protected area made up of a series of arid islands situated on the Pacific side of Baja. This is a very complex and interesting area where we find sand dunes, desert plants, mangroves and a warm, shallow lagoon. The interactions of these ecosystems create a natural paradise for a lot of sea birds and, of course, the whales.
Each year, you’ll see, gray whales travel around 6000 miles from their feeding grounds on the Bering Sea to get to the safe and warm waters of the Baja lagoons. It is the longest migration of any mammal on earth. In these protected areas they mate and bear their calves. These gentle giants spend around three months inside of the lagoons with their babies so they can get strong, learn how to be better swimmers, and most important, have fun! These are some of the most friendly and playful whales in the world. They’ll splash in the water, roll over each other mother, and jump out of the water in one of the most extraordinary shows on earth.
At our whale camp, we take guests into the bay in safe water skiffs that are driven by local fishermen, and go looking for the whales. There are some times when we are surrounded by the friendly whales, and it seems all they want is your attention! This is a lifetime experience that everybody should have. The curiosity of the whales and our admiration for them converge in a unique moment where we can look into their eyes, and, for a moment, feel one and connected with them.
Whales have taught me so many important lessons - living the moment, always be learning, swim with the current, and be close to the people I love. What do you think you can learn from them?