The "Friendlies" at Laguna San Ignacio
Posted March 16, 2010 in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Ten percent of the whales that come to Laguna San Ignacio are believed to be “friendly,” to seek the company of humans.
Finding them in this big lagoon is not guaranteed.
As we set off on our first boat trip this morning our guide Jim urged us to have no expectations, an almost impossible exhortation given everything that I’ve read and heard since joining NRDC almost five years ago. But I tried to keep the anticipation in check, thinking that at worse I’d spend an hour or two relaxing in the sun.
As it turned out, we found no friendlies this morning. The closest a whale came to our boat was probably about 12 feet or so. So no touches or kisses.
But did I mention that whales came within 12 feet of our boat?!? And that mothers and calves frolicked together, rising out of the sea with little or no advance notice. We saw spyhopping, some distant breaching and, oh yes, whales came within 12 feet of our boat.
Even though these whales did not choose to come close enough to touch, I clearly got the sense that we were part of something bigger than ourselves. The lagoon is, as I’ve mentioned, quite large and the whales are quite sensitive to sound.
In other words, those whales had plenty of opportunities to avoid us. Yet they chose to swim nearby with their babies. Curiousity? Education? Communication?
We’ll never know.
***
I've just 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. Yesterday's entry was Fear, Awe and Anticipation. Tomorrow's entry (with photos/video) is called "I Have To Process This."
