In February of this year, long-time CID members Don and Brandee Sisting once again traveled south to Baja. This trip was to Laguna Ojo de Liebre (also called Scammon’s Lagoon) in Baja Sur, to see the migration of the gray whales.  It took 2 days to travel from Camarillo to Guerrero Negro. They camped along the way in San Felipe, then spent 4 days in Guerrero Negro. The scenery along the way was very interesting, and the highlight of the trip was the two days they went out on a panga with marine biologist Shari Bondy, the owner of  Whale Magic tours, to see the gray whales.

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Friendly whales would come up and touch them as they hung over the side of the boat. Some of the people on the panga even kissed (!) the gray whales.  The beauty, intelligence and curiosity of these magnificent mammals cannot be overstated.

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A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Laguna Ojo de Liebre is part of the Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino, and contains the most important breeding grounds of the Eastern subpopulation of the North Pacific Grey Whale. Protection of the Sanctuary is intricately linked with saving the species from extinction and recovery after a near-collapse due to excessive commercial whaling. Many environmental factors, such as depth, temperature, nutrients, and salinity coincide in Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio lagoons to make them ideal mating, breeding and calving grounds.

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Don and Brandee invite you to attend their presentation on Wednesday, 8.20.2025 to hear more about their “Gray Whale Encounters” see their pictures, and learn about the gray whales and the history of their migration.  And, maybe even put together another trip this February!

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Hope you can join us.