Seasonal· Baja California Pacific coast (Ensenada to Cabo Falso)· Mexico
Gray Whale Season (Pacific Baja Lagoons)
26° 54.0′ N · 113° 13.0′ W · approximate
Each winter eastern Pacific gray whales crowd into Baja's Pacific lagoons - Ojo de Liebre near Guerrero Negro, Laguna San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay - to give birth, mate and teach their calves, often nosing up to pangas to be touched.
Practical
Pin placed at Laguna San Ignacio (Wikipedia). Timing: whales arrive from November; births and mating in January; calves are nursed and trained through February and March, peaking after mid-February with up to 2,000 mothers and calves in Ojo de Liebre; departures north from late March (Whale Magic Tours, Bahía Asunción). Private yachts may not enter the whale refuges - anchor off Punta Abreojos (San Ignacio) or in Mag Bay and use licensed pangas; Conservation Passport required. Southbound in November-January you'll see whales cavorting in the outgoing tide at Mag Bay's entrance; keep a sharp watch for whales underway all along the coast.
Best for
Planning a whale stop on the way south or north
Season
Dec-Mar (calves best mid-Feb to late Mar)
Nearby
- Laguna San Ignacio Gray Whale LagoonRight here
- Punta Abreojos Anchorage21.4 NM away
- Bahía San Hipólito Anchorage39.4 NM away
- Panadería El Boleo57 NM away
- Hospital General Santa Rosalía57.1 NM away
- Iglesia de Santa Bárbara (Santa Rosalía)57.1 NM away
- El Boleo Copper Foundry57.2 NM away
- Museo Histórico Minero El Boleo57.2 NM away
Place data includes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).