The First Touch at Laguna San Ignacio

It was later than usual when we set off this afternoon for our second trip onto the lagoon. A world-renown marine scientist, Bruce Mate from the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, was on a boat nearby and he arrived for lunch and conversation with my colleague Joel Reynolds, himself world-renown in whaling circles for his work in saving Laguna San Ignacio and from challenging the Navy’s use of sonar.

Mate specializes in tagging whales with GPS devices that can track their migratory patterns and other activities. He showed us data from one of his latest studies that he believes demonstrates that sperm whales work together in hunting for squid, apparently their favorite food. He described a complicated dance among three male whales to encircle and ultimately consume a school of squid.

After talking for two hours, Bruce and his wife needed to get back to their boat and we prepared for our second visit to the lagoon. This time we stayed closer to camp and within 15 minutes we were surrounded by whales, whales that were clearly friendlies who wanted to interact. The first whale I touched was approximately 35 feet long. It seemed to be unattached, meaning that it could be a male or a female that had not conceived this cycle.

When it did bring itself to the side of our boat, most everyone on board got a stroke. I petted its head, rubbing across the barnacles and touching some smooth rubbery skin. I wasn’t sure what to make of my first experience. When asked how I felt, my only answer was that I had process it for a while. When presented with something so unusual, so unexpected, so unnatural, you have to think a bit.

(While you pause to think, take a look at the following video. It isn't the best but holding a Flip camera and touching a whale isn't the easiest thing in the world to do! But stay with it and you'll see an astounding shot of a farewell gesture. And, yes, I'm the one saying "oh my, oh my." And then read on for a wonderful spyhop and then we get our first visit by a friendly baby.)

Within ten minutes, the time for thinking time was clearly over. After an astounding close spyhop, a baby whale floated over to our boat and within seconds its head was coming ever closer. Suddenly I stroked the head of a baby whale as the mother watched nearby (and I got it all on film...see below for some beautiful shots of the baby).

No process needed. For many (most?) people, life is inalterably changed at the moment you feel the soft skin of the baby of any species. Then add the notion that the baby weighs a few tons and spends the vast majority of its time diving deep under water, far from any human interaction.

My husband Tim cried when I showed him the video clip of the baby. I didn't cry when it happened but I did change. And dramatically so. Who wouldn't?

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I recently returned from a five-day trip to Mexico to visit the site of one of NRDC's greatest wildlife victories. Over the next week or so, I'll be writing about the journey. Up first was Fear, Awe and Anticipation. Then I chronicled my first whale watch in the Friendlies at Laguna San Ignacio. Future blogs will focus on the history of NRDC's battle to save the lagoon, birding in the mangroves, spying an octopus in the tidal flats and maybe more!