Monday, March 1, 2010

Baja and the Humpbacks



Back from the Baja . . . Imagine looking over the side of a little motor boat and seeing humpbacks swimming and jumping out of the water just a few feet away.

Not far from shore, in the Cabo San Lucas harbor, these baleen whales (who don't eat people, just krill and other tiny fish) teach their babies to survive in the water, which is full of humans in all kinds of boats.

People applaud the humpbacks, and the creatures seem to like it. But when I looked over the side of my little boat and saw a mother whale right underneath us, all the air left my body and everything stopped . . .

The water was so clear I could see the markings on her tail, which looked shell white through the waves. When she surfaced she made a deep sighing sound.

Surfacing just a few feet away from us, this whale had scars all over her back. Maybe you can see them in the top photo.

Erin, my daughter and travel companion on this trip, took these photos. With everything happening so fast, it's astonishing that she managed to capture any images at all. Remember the boat was rocking, the whales splashing, stomachs lurching . . .

More to come soon . . .

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Thank you for commenting! I appreciate it. I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Peace, Meredith