As I sat on the beach a few days ago, enjoying the warm sun and a good book on a January afternoon, I got lucky. I heard a few people on the beach yelling and pointing, and I looked up to see a pod of about a dozen gray whales frolicking in the Pacific. They were on their way south, to Baja and even beyond.
What a sight, a dozen large whales, blowing and diving as they travelled south. I have never seen anything like it. Mid January is the peak of the migration. After spending the summer feeding in the food rich waters of the artic, the Grays swim south along the coat to the bays of Baja California, where they mate and nurse their young.
Over the years, as many ocean species have declined, the gray whale has actually increased in numbers. In the 1980's there were estimated to be about 15,000 gray whales, today that number is up to about 27,000. Why, then, do we see fewer whales migrating? No one knows for sure, but biologists think it has something to do with the number of boats that are out in the ocean trying to view the migration. In some instances, boats are actually chasing the whales in order to get a closer look. Although this is strictly prohibited, it still takes place. To avoid this, whales are staying farther from shore and are moving through heavily populated areas, like San Diego, at night. I was lucky to see this group, and will look for them again in a few months when they return from Baja with their young. There is nothing more magnificent than to see these beautiful gray whales dive, blow water from their blowspout, and flap their tails. Nature is truly grand.
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