Although
you won't see as many whales close to shore here as you would farther
north (in Pacific gray whale calving bay of Bahia Magdalena), newborn
calves and their mothers do swim by on their 'trial run' to the Sea
of Cortez. These whales can be seen within a few hundred meters of
Cabo San Lucas throughout the year, but the most activity occurs during
this gray whale migration season, which is from January through March.
Your first
indication of the gray whale will probably be its spout or “blow”—up
to 15 ft (4.5 m) high, bushy, and occasionally heart-shaped when seen
from the front or rear. It will be visible for miles on calm days,
and an explosive “whoosh” of exhalation may be heard up to ½ mile
away. The spout consists mostly of condensation created as the whale’s
warm humid breath expands and cools in the sea air, along with sea
water blown into the air as the whale begins its exhalation just below
the surface. Look for 3-5 blows as a rule, 30-50 seconds apart before
the whale dives again. (As a rule of thumb, a gray whale will blow
once for each minute it has spent in its dive.) Use your stopwatch
to time these blows and predict when the whale is due to blow again. |
