Petting whales in Baja
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 6:04 am
Here are a few pics from our adventure last week in Baja California. It was a long flight (six hours each way from the Bay Area to Loreto), but we had a wonderful time. One proud mother gray whale and her calf were incredibly playful, staying in close proximity to our small skiff for about 40 minutes. We were probably their toy, as they seemed to enjoy pushing us around.
Twice the mother lifted the bow of our boat until the transom nearly flooded, and she also frequently showered us with water by purposefully exhaling just under the surface next to the railing. The mother is *huge*. It would have been very easy for her to swamp us at any time. With all of our shrieking, I was reminded of how dogs enjoy squeaky chew toys!
Other than needing to touch-up the paint on the prop & nose wheel fairing, our little plane did great on the dirt strip. One important tip: no matter how hot it is on the ground, under no circumstances crack the canopy before starting the engine on a dirt strip. DAMHIKT...
For high-resolution versions of these photos, check here: Link
Chris
Twice the mother lifted the bow of our boat until the transom nearly flooded, and she also frequently showered us with water by purposefully exhaling just under the surface next to the railing. The mother is *huge*. It would have been very easy for her to swamp us at any time. With all of our shrieking, I was reminded of how dogs enjoy squeaky chew toys!
Other than needing to touch-up the paint on the prop & nose wheel fairing, our little plane did great on the dirt strip. One important tip: no matter how hot it is on the ground, under no circumstances crack the canopy before starting the engine on a dirt strip. DAMHIKT...
For high-resolution versions of these photos, check here: Link
Chris