Magdalena Bay is a special site on the Pacific coast of Baja.  Every year, California Gray Whales congregate in the bay to give birth. Here is more information about the majestic mammals you will see on your Magdalena Bay tour.

California Gray Whale

Eschrichtius robustus

Whale calf lifts its head out of Baja's Magdalena Bay to watch whale watchers. Since whaling was banned in 1946, the California Gray Whale population has rebounded from near extinction to a population that has been estimated to be as high as 21,000. Gray whales are a symbol of hope for the world's endangered species.  In February and March, on our Baja’s Desert Whales and Magdalena Bay whale watching excursions, you can experience the whales and their newly-born calves surfacing just a few feet away from a motorized skiff, and if you’re lucky, reach out and caress this extraordinary mammal.  

Gray Whale Facts

• The Gray Whale has the longest migration of any mammal, typically exceeding a 10,000 annual round trip between their summer Arctic feeding grounds and the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico.  They travel very near shore during the migration.  The first whales to depart the Arctic in October are the females in late pregnancy, followed by females and then males.  Average speed is 2 to 5 knots covering 110 miles per day on their southern migration (2-3 months).  The northward migration begins in March with the newly pregnant females leading the way, followed by adult males and finally females with their calves departing as late as May.  

• Gray Whales give birth in Mexican lagoons during the winter months (13 month gestation: one calf every 2 years). Conception takes place during the southern migration (gray whales reach sexual maturity at 5-11 years of age).  Calves are 15 feet long at birth and weigh 1500 pounds.  Calves nurse on milk that is 53% fat (human milk is 2% fat) for up to 7 months.  Since the calves have no blubber, the survival of gray whales requires southward migration for calving in warm waters.  Mother whale is very protective of her calf.  The calves double in length in seven months and gain 200 lbs per day.  The whales remain in the lagoons for 2-3 months, allowing the calves to build up a thick layer of blubber to sustain them during the northward migration and keep them warm in the colder waters.  An adult whale’s blubber is 7.5 inches thick.  

• Adults are 40-45 feet long and weigh 30 tons (mid-range for whales). The gray whale has no dorsal fin.  It has a series of knuckles along the dorsal ridge that extend to the fluke (tail). The flute is about 10-12 feet across. Their mottled gray and white appearance is due to patches of barnacles on its dark skin.  Patches of orange are whale lice (amphipods).  The barnacles are a species unique to gray whales.  

• The lifespan is typically 30 to 40 years but some have lived to the age of sixty.  Their blow is 10 feet high and heart-shaped.  Whales typically surface 3 to 5 times in succession followed by a dive lasting 5-7 minutes.  They will raise their flute out of the water before a dive.

• Gray Whales typically feed off the bottom of the Bering and Chukchi seas by scooping up the sediment (52 acres per season) and filtering it along with small crustaceans through its sieve-like baleen structure on the roof of its mouth. Baleen consists of the same material as your fingernails (keratin) and was the “whalebone” used in 19th century corsets.  The whales feed voraciously all summer, building up their thick layer of blubber for the migration south.  While in migration and during their stay in Baja, they eat very little.  A Gray Whale can lose as much as 30% of body fat while in the south.

• Once Gray Whales roamed both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Nineteenth century whaling destroyed the Atlantic and Korean Gray Whale population and twice nearly exterminated the California Gray Whales between 1846 and 1930’s.  Mothers are very protective of their calves, and earned the name “Devilfish” from early whalers in the lagoons because of their violent defensive behaviors.  Puerto Lopez Mateos is located on the site of a 19th century whale processing station.

• Since International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was signed in 1946, the California Gray Whale population has rebounded from near extinction to a population that has been estimated between 19,000 and 23,000, probably close to their original population size.

• Whale oil was used in margarine & shortening, soap & detergents, lubricants for machines, cosmetics and fuel for lamps.  One gray whale carcass could yield 40 barrels of oil - worth as much as $1,600 dollars - a fortune back in the 1850's. Bones were ground into bone meal for gardens and whale meat was ground into animal and pet food.  Baleen was highly prized for its 'plastic like' qualities to make watch springs, umbrellas, toys, ladies corsets, brushes and brooms.  The skin and innards were used to make tennis racket strings, golf bags and drum skins.  The invention of petroleum products, steel springs and kerosene lanterns likely saved many whale species from extinction.  

• Orcas (Killer Whales) are a cause of gray whale deaths (especially calves), and many gray whales have orca teeth scars on their flutes.  Only about 50 percent of the calves survive their first year.