BajaNomad

Lopez Whale Count today

Mula - 2-18-2012 at 08:34 PM

231 Adults
58 babies

They (the whales) are all over the place in the bay and really performing for their guests.

DianaT - 2-18-2012 at 08:36 PM

Good to hear and I sure wish them a lot of business this year! It is a beautiful bay to visit

[Edited on 2-19-2012 by DianaT]

shari - 2-18-2012 at 08:36 PM

thanks for that Mula...can you perhaps get the counts for the season so far? It would be interesting to see how early the numbers were high. As you can see, there are more solitary whales there...I have seen lots of elders there...smaller skinny old whales..lots of scar tissue...seasoned!

joerover - 2-18-2012 at 10:19 PM

Where is Lopez?
Where is the best place to see whales from land?
When is the peak of whale watching season?
When do most of the whales depart/ end of season?

How about a few pointers for a first time whale watcher?

woody with a view - 2-18-2012 at 10:47 PM

for the whale 1st timer you should just go to Ojo de Liebre (Scammons) Lagoon. stay in G Negro and drive out in the morning. you'll be back in town for lunch.

Mula - 2-19-2012 at 07:38 AM

Lopez Mateos is just north of Cuidad Constitucion.

Leave Loreto heading south for 119 KM, turn right at the T and drive 3 KM through Insurgentes.

Turn Left and drive 30 KM out to Lopez Mateos on the north end of Magdalena Bay.

The best is to first take a panga for 800 pesos for 6 people and find spots where you could watch from land. True the whales do move around, but there are so many here right now.

I would imagine now to the end of Feb. is peak whale season. It definitely starts for the pangueros 15 January, whether the whales are here or not. This year they were here early and the gov't permits weren't ready until the 15th, so the guys could not take the watchers out.

shari - 2-19-2012 at 07:46 AM

Hey Joerover...all three lagoons are great and have thier unique features. The best thing is to visit all 3!! Much depends on how far south you want to travel and what time of year you can visit. All lagoons have "friendly" whale activity.

Ojo de Liebre is the largest lagoon, over half the whale population is born there and has 1,500-2,000 whales there at the peak which is mid february-mid march. There are whales there from the beginning of January to the end of March. You can easily watch whales from shore if you drive out to the Interpretive Center...pretty cool watching whales while chomping on a shrimp taco! Here there are mostly mother and calves. The road is well maintained out to that lagoon too and the campground there is excellent with hot showers now and palapas for camping in...all for $3.





San Ignacio usually has 3-400 whales and the road is a bit more challenging and the lagoon has several tourist camps with cabins to rent...it is well known for friendly whale encounters and there is more mating behavior there too. There are good educational programs at some of the camps.

Mag Bay is the furthest south and has about 2-300 whales and is in a bit more industrial setting but very easy to get to...paved all the way. There is more mating there too.



joerover - 2-19-2012 at 12:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mula
Lopez Mateos is just north of Cuidad Constitucion.


thanks, on google maps it is Adolfo Lopez Mateos, that is why I did not find it.

joerover - 2-19-2012 at 12:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari

Ojo de Liebre is the largest lagoon,


if you drive out to the Interpretive Center

campground there is excellent with hot showers now and palapas for camping in...all for $3.

San Ignacio usually has 3-400 whales





google shows Ojo de Libre as a small cove south of Guerrero Negro inside a much larger lagoon. IS that what you mean?

Where is the interpretive center? Google shows a road going East out of Guerrero Negreo and turning North into the water and ending on a small island. Should I guess the interpretive center is there?

Where is the campground?

San Ignaciio? Land locked on google.

As I have never been there, I need more detailed directions.

[Edited on 2-19-2012 by joerover]