In Ensenada whale watching is one of the most stunning spectacles run by Nature.
You look out over the water watching and waiting. Then you see it. A whale spouts... Suddenly the huge whale breaches the surface of the sea with tremendous force.
Gray whales migrate every year from the cold waters around Alaska -where they spend the summer- to the warmer waters of Baja California in winter.
These huge, charismatic cetaceans swim almost 4000 miles south at an average of 12 miles per hour.
Once in the Mexican peninsula, around the last week of December, the gray whales begin to be in sight between Todos Santos islands and the Ensenada bay on their way south.
The whales arrive at their Baja destination: the lagoons located in Baja California Sur such as Ojo de Liebre lagoon, Scammon's lagoon and San Ignacio lagoon where they give birth.
Only one calf is born from each female after a 14 month gestation.
The migration season runs from November to February but the best time to watch big concentrations of these magnificent mammals parading off the Ensenada coast is the last week of January.
The migration back north runs from mid February to May.
An adult gray whale averages 40 to 45 feet in length, 15 to 35 tons in weight and 40 to 60 years in age.
These gentle giants have been almost extinct in the Atlantic Ocean due to relentless hunting. But after they became officially protected under international agreements in 1946, their population grew to about 20, 000 individuals.
If you are lucky enough you will possibly see other whales like the humpback, the finback, the sperm, the minke, the pilot and -once in a while- the orca. Also the blue whale who migrates from the cold northern regions to the tepid waters of Bahía de Los Angeles, in the Sea of Cortes.
Sergio´s Sportfishing Center, Boulevard Costero, 178-21-35.
Clipper Fleet, 178-8080.
Botes Juanito, 174-0953.
Malarrimo Ecco Tours Round trips to the Scammon's lagoon from Guerrero Negro. (011-52) 115-157-0100 malarrimo.com
And while you enjoy your Ensenada whale watching holiday, you'll have true close encounters with Ensenada, its restaurants, and its lodging facilities...
