BajaNomad

Ojo de Liebre

tripledigitken - 3-14-2009 at 08:18 PM

many birds as well as whales can be seen!


high tide




Captains waiting for customers on a slow day for whale watching




handiwork on a palapa




only 2 palapa's used when we stayed there







[Edited on 3-5-2010 by tripledigitken]

Bajahowodd - 3-14-2009 at 11:21 PM

Great photos, Ken. Must say that I'm a bit surprised because Shari had recently posted that whale watch business was booming in the area.

Skipjack Joe - 3-15-2009 at 04:55 AM

Nice pictures, Ken. I especially like the one showing the pattern of palm leaves in the palapa.

It's often been comforting to settle into a siesta in mid afternoon and look up to see those pleasing designs overhead.

Russ - 3-15-2009 at 06:52 AM

Good pics Ken. Always nice to see your stuff. Got any more?

Pompano - 3-15-2009 at 07:14 AM

Ken, those pictures are simply great. What are you using? The clarity on the palapa detail is amazing.

shari - 3-15-2009 at 07:46 AM

the weekend we went, the outfitters said business was good...not booming...and this was opposed to what everyone thought would be a very slow season. There are several new companies in GN which splits the business even more unfortunately. But there are certainly slow days where the captains wait around for customers...always have....always will but business was better than expected this year. Because not many people know you can just drive to the lagoon...this spot is the slowest....the townies grab most of the business with big signs, offices and whale trip hawkers in town at the hotels.
also, everyone always says the best time to see them is in february so things slow down significantly in march.

[Edited on 3-15-2009 by shari]

David K - 3-15-2009 at 07:52 AM

Shari, in your opinion, what is a fair price (per person or per boat) to pay a captain if one goes directly to the lagoon for a whale experience?

shari - 3-15-2009 at 07:56 AM

this is a well organized group with a ticket office in the adobe building....so they charge I believe it is $45 a person...correct me those of you who know...it was $40 but I think it has gone up...kids are less. The number of people in the boat depends on demand and they will wait a reasonable amount of time till they get a group.

woody with a view - 3-15-2009 at 07:58 AM

2 years ago we gave the captain (Leopoldo) about $20us in pesos after the trip. it was such an incredible experience. i still feel bad for not tipping enough for a once in a lifetime experience.

TIP YOUR CAPTAIN for services provided........

tripledigitken - 3-15-2009 at 11:53 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Pompano
Ken, those pictures are simply great. What are you using? The clarity on the palapa detail is amazing.


Thanks all for the comments.

Roger,

The camera is a Nikon D80, all the pictures are processed with Photoshop. Most all have level adjustments (makes the blacks real black and the whitest whites pure white), I usually sharpen all except portraits. Some detail shots I add grain as if a film shot to add detail, that is the tecnique used on the palapa shot. If you can enlarge the photo to view you will see the grain unlike most digital shots unedited.

Ken

tripledigitken - 3-15-2009 at 11:57 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
this is a well organized group with a ticket office in the adobe building....so they charge I believe it is $45 a person...correct me those of you who know...it was $40 but I think it has gone up...kids are less. The number of people in the boat depends on demand and they will wait a reasonable amount of time till they get a group.


Shari,

They have held their prices (a week ago today) to $40. We saw two boats go out the morning of the photos you see. All the people had driven in themselves no buses.

We saw many spouts from shore, so there were still whales hanging around.

Ken

shari - 3-15-2009 at 12:00 PM

excellent point woodman...your whale experience totally depends on the soul of your captain...ya cant fool a whale with a gleaming smile...these guys get ya where ya need to be and have a connection with individual whales...usually gained by patience and gentleness....so they totally deserve a tip...plus these ejido guys all get the same salary whether they have a ton of experience or none...socialism at work...and they make VERY little so tip generously por favor.

tripledigitken - 3-15-2009 at 12:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Russ
Good pics Ken. Always nice to see your stuff. Got any more?


Thanks for the comments. Here's one from your neighborhood!

Isla Santa Ines


Natalie Ann - 3-15-2009 at 12:09 PM

Wonderful pix, Ken, just wonderful. That first shot makes me feel I'm right there - I can hear the bird calls and feel the wind rustled by their wings.

I know you've just returned from vacation and I do look forward to many more shared visions from your trip.

Nena

Natalie Ann - 3-15-2009 at 12:11 PM

Oh man, Ken - hadn't seen that last image when I posted my previous reply. Those brown and gold tones make for the perfect image. Well done, amigo!

Nena

DianaT - 3-15-2009 at 12:16 PM

Nice, very nice. Thanks---

It is really pretty out there and we enjoyed staying there---we do still, however, prefer whale watching in San Ignacio.

I really like all the pics, but my favorite is the one of the guys waiting----tells a story.

Diane

Skipjack Joe - 3-17-2009 at 07:09 PM

Ken,

Those pickleweeds submerged by high tide are really something. I've often enjoyed wading back to my car at Laguna Manuela around these plants. Always thought they would make a neat picture but never took the time to do it. It was nice to see that you were attracted to these same plants.

shari - 3-17-2009 at 07:30 PM

Actually that pickleweed is pretty tastey...as well as the little butter clams we got at low tide in the mud.

Paula - 3-17-2009 at 07:54 PM

Such beautiful pictures, Ken! The golden sunrise is just amazing...

Skip_Mac - 3-18-2009 at 11:48 AM

Shari, I concur, I had a local organic pickleweed salad at a high end restaurant in Point Reyes several years ago.. Fantastic with a touch of vinegar. On the day we went whale watching without you...the tide was way out. I was amazed by the many small sea anemonies on the muddy bottom, maybe 1/2 inch in diameter,, scattered evenly over all the mud. The one I examined (and returned) was attached to a small piece of shell under the surface of the mud. The mudflats are an area very dense with life, only a little of it shows at the surface.

The lagoon is special for lots more than whales...and I am not suggesting that the Whales aren't really special...

Bump for DeMinimis

tripledigitken - 3-4-2010 at 10:23 PM

Hi,

We camped here last March. We intended to go out to see whales but the day we were to go it was too windy. A great place to view them from shore and camp. Lots of birds and a good restaurant.

The camping sites are dry with a nice palapa at each unit. There are pit toilets.

A great place to visit!

Ken

tiotomasbcs - 3-5-2010 at 07:40 AM

Pickleweed, I think I remember seeing them at the Shrine Auditorium in the sixties. Their hit song "Muddy Bottom". Ha, Ha. Tomas

shari - 3-5-2010 at 07:53 AM

wow...a blast from the past...2009! Well, since we have resurrected this post, I will add this photo of the new line of palapas.

Years past, all the campsites were beach side at the edge of the lagoon but for whatever reason...the ocean is rising and those original campsites are flooded at high tides so the campsites have had to be moved back to the road where they built palapas which are terrific as it can get windy there in the afternoons.

This particular whale watch company is an ejido effort and lacks promotion so is usually much less busy than the Guerrero Negro companies...which is nicer for the visitor (and the whales)

[Edited on 3-5-2010 by shari]

P1011155.JPG - 33kB

tripledigitken - 1-31-2012 at 11:12 AM

This shows the area around the departure point for whale watching in Ojo de Liebre. A very nice place to camp with the sounds of whales in the background.