A group of people in a small boating vessel were provided a rare and interactive glimpse into the lives of a mother gray whale and her calf in their natural habitat.
Both mother and baby seemed completely gentle and comfortable as they came directly up to the boat and allowed the passengers an opportunity to touch the calf. The mother whale is actually seen underneath the calf lifting it up to the surface of the ocean water immediately adjacent to the boat.
The passengers are seen leaning over the boat to partake in the interaction between whale and human by extending their arms out to the water’s surface and touching the baby whale. This unique encounter took place in Laguna San Ignacio. The natural nursing and breeding habitat is located in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula on the Pacific coast. The protected body of water is located within El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve.
Although small tourist boats are not allowed to intentionally approach the whales, it seems that no one informed the whales of this regulation. The mammoth creatures have been known to swim near small tourist boats as if they are relishing from human interaction. Boaters should take caution, however, to respect this area as one of the last undisturbed gray whale nursing and breeding grounds.