February 9, 2007

We had fallen asleep at our campsite beside Laguna Oja de Libre, the large lagoon on the Baja where the grey whales breed, to the sounds of them pushing air hard through their blowholes.

By the time the fog lifted in the morning and we had climbed into the tiny skiff with our guide, our anticipation had peaked.

The boat tour lasted two hours and at first we could see clusters of two or three whales in the distance breaching, or jumping into the air, and then crashing back down into the water with a giant splash.

As the morning wore on, a bold mother and her calf got so close to the boat that we could dangle our hands off the side and scratch the rough barnacles off their backs.

In late February, just weeks after our visit, these same grey whales would be starting their 9,000 kilometer annual migration up the California coast, past Vancouver Island, and on to the summer feeding grounds in Alaska and the Bering Sea.

According to the Vancouver Aquarium, the 2005 shore-based count put the west coast grey whale population at 18,000 animals, which was down from 26,600 in 1998.

While this is a precipitous decline, these grey whales are still fairing better than many of the other whale populations that patrol Canada's coast.

Seven whale species are currently listed as "endangered" under Canada's Species at Risk Act. Nine more whale populations are listed as "threatened" or of "special concern". The grey whale population on the Atlantic coast is already extinct.

It had taken us about an hour's drive on rutted sand roads past salt flats to reach Laguna Oja de Libre, which is also known as Scammon's Lagoon, from Guerrero Negro.

Guerrero Negro, located right on the the border of Baja Norte and Baja Sur - the two Baja states - has a population of around 8,000, a medium-sized supermarket and one or two banks. Compared to Bahia de Los Angeles, four hours north and where we had camped the previous four nights, it is the Big Smoke.

Guerrero Negro also has a well-run campsite - Malarrimo Motel/RV Park - that is popular with the RV caravans. After the primitive camping facilties at the lagoon - outhouses only - we welcomed the hot water showers and flush toilets.

Key Facts & Figures:

-Laguna Oja de Libre campsite: $5/night
-Malarrimo Motel/RV Park: $14/night