As the weather becomes chillier and old Jack Frost will soon be knocking on our doors, it’s the perfect time to escape to the warmer climate of Baja for some “R & R”. Whether you’re looking for a lot of adventure or a little, our vacations in the Sea of Cortez and Magdalena Bay will be just what the doctor ordered. We find that one of the most memorable parts of traveling to a new place is meeting and getting to know the locals, both human and animal alike. We would like to introduce you to a few of the larger aquatic residents you may have the opportunity to say hello to as you sail, snorkel, dive or kayak through their neighborhood.
Meet the Sea Lion: The Sea Lion is the smallest of our three large friends, but he’s no small fry. He stretches about 8 feet long and can weigh as much as 850 pounds when he’s done growing. He packs on the weight by eating up to 24 pounds of fish and squid a day, or roughly 120 hamburgers, but he’s happy to share. In fact, when hunting large schools of fish, he will sometimes buddy up with the local dolphins and sea birds to catch a feast. The Sea Lion’s smaller sisters are a very curious bunch, and often amuse themselves by poking and prodding at their human visitors. Though they do love to play, some of their California cousins have to delay the fun to take care of business by helping out the United States Navy with some special assignments. Who knew they had famous relatives?! You can find him and his family throughout the Baja Peninsula, particularly around the small islands where he’s safe from bigger bullies like great white sharks and orcas, and his door is always open!
Meet the Manta Ray: The Manta Ray is our next largest resident. You may have luck finding her in the Sea of Cortez as well as in Magdalena Bay, and her favorite place is close to one island or another. She averages a wingspan of 22 feet and weighs 3000 pounds, but when it comes to size it’s all about the wingspan. Her largest known relative weighed about average, 2900 pounds, but had a wingspan of 25 feet. Don’t worry though this ray is a gentle giant. She doesn’t have a stinger on the end of her tail, and she only eats small critters like plankton, and she needs to eat 44 pounds-66 pounds a day to stay fit! She gets along with pretty much everyone, except of course the krill. When there are large sharks around, other than her occasional dining partner the Whale Shark, she prefers not to socialize, but she's happy to hang and swim around with her human guests.
Meet the Gray Whale: Yep. You guessed it. The Gray Whale is our largest Magdalena Bay resident, but she’s only here for a short time. Her family tends to pass through around February, so it presents a small but significant window of opportunity to view one of the largest aquatic mammals in the world. At lengths averaging 52 feet, 10 feet longer than a school bus, and weighing close to 40 tons, or the weight of about 6 male African Elephants, you might feel like you need a bigger boat but the motorized skiffs on our Baja Whale Watching expeditions are the perfect way to get introduced to and spend 3 days with the Gray Whale and her family. Like all baleen whales, the Gray Whale loves her daily dose of krill, and the secluded Magdalena Bay offers the perfect protection from sharks and orcas so the young ones can get their sea legs before moving north. The Gray Whale is not a friend you would soon forget, and once you meet her, you’ll want to come back and introduce her to your friends.
Ready to meet the locals? Visit our website or give us a call and we'll be happy to introduce you!
By Vanessa Therrien
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