alacran - 3-22-2014 at 10:31 AM
Are the whales still in Ojo de Liebre, lagoon??
shari - 3-22-2014 at 11:29 AM
I just left there a couple days ago and the last count was over 1,000 whales there last week. We saw dozens in the inner lagoon by the campground and
most of them are friendly! I will be there with some Nomads on Tuesday which will be my last trip...boo hoo! Enjoy! Here are some Nomads enjoying some
whale love a few days ago.
alacran - 3-22-2014 at 12:12 PM
Thank you for the info. From where are you leaving???
shari - 3-22-2014 at 02:47 PM
We had our base camp set up at Ojo de Liebre (Scammon's Lagoon)...the inner lagoon 6 miles south of Guerrero Negro...the place anyone can drive out to
and jump on a whale watch boat or have a fine meal at the restaurant, birdwatch etc.
alacran - 3-22-2014 at 04:13 PM
Thanks for the info.
Bajahowodd - 3-22-2014 at 05:00 PM
Two distinct observations/ questions.
It was widely reported that the whales had traveled South in great numbers earlier than usual. So, it is surprising to me that there are still so many
in the lagoon.
As for driving in and catching a panga, I was wondering if Shari has the juice to be able to get folks out on the lagoon without a very long wait.
My experience has been that the many whale watch providers in Guerrero Negro do seem to get priority for boats.
We drove out ourselves several times and found ourselves on a waiting list that took hours. When we hooked up with a tour provider in town, we got
onto a panga almost immediately.
So Shari, are you able to get folks onto a panga without a long wait? Just asking for next year.
shari - 3-22-2014 at 06:11 PM
Yes the migration was a couple weeks early this year and the "turn around" ...when whales start back north was also a couple weeks early....so the
bulk of the population did head north early.
But in the lagoons, the babies were born at the normal time in late December and January and must have gained enough muscle strength to make the long
migration north so they must stay in the lagoon at least two months. So the calves born early, leave early and the late comers leave later.
The last week, we were also seeing whales we had never seen before so perhaps some of these were coming up from the southern lagoons and stopping over
for a wee rest in OJo de Liebre...many of them were very friendly. I am hoping that some of my photo identification efforts will support this
theory...then again, they may be whales from the mouth...we will see. I wish photo ID's were being taken in all lagoons all season long so we could
compile some meaningful data.
About the waiting...my trips have a boat already reserved so there is no wait...unless I choose to do so... so I may go out with a guide I know has a
good relationship with the whales which is something I appreciate being able to do...having this knowledge and flexibility helps make the magic
happen...as well, I am able to wait a bit if it is cloudy as it often is in GN. My favorite time window is from 9-1. I like the first boats to get out
and find & warm up the whales and the cloud to burn off a bit too.
The thing is one needs to judge the weather as well...if it looks like it will blow early, obviously the first boat would be better to get.
I love having the flexibility to provide the best possible experience for my passengers which comes with working closely with the team at the lagoon.
There is value in my history at the lagoon and relationship with the ejido.
Every day is different there...some days there are very few whale watchers...other days a bus tour may show up with 40 people. Caracol Hotel brings
their customers there as well so they usually have a boatload first thing in the morning. You can reserve a boat by contacting the ejido but that can
go wrong too. Showing up first thing in the morning is the best way, then you can see when people show up and ask at the ticket office if there are
alot of reservations made or not.
Also, if you are just two people, you have to wait until more people show up. While some people want to go out by themselves, this is NOT a good idea.
We prefer to wait and get more people on the boats because there is less pressure on the whales this way. It is far better when less boats are around
the whales and it just isnt wise to go out with 2 or even 4 people. The less boats around the whales the better...people think it's just so they make
more money and the truth is that there would be just too many boats if they all had only a few people on them....so please think about the pressure on
the whales in this case. I have suggested they make a minimum per boat and post it so people understand the reason why.
So, yes you can certainly just show up at the lagoon and get on a boat but you risk waiting or getting on a panga with people you may not enjoy being
on a boat with. Paying another $5 to have a guide takes the guesswork out of what is happening especially if there is an incident or dangerous
situation....not to mention all the neat things you will learn about the whales and getting a play by play description of what they are doing.
Bajahowodd - 3-23-2014 at 04:57 PM
Thanks for your insight. We will likely be seeing you next year.
Udo - 3-23-2014 at 05:08 PM
Highly valuable information, Shari...thanks!
shari - 3-26-2014 at 04:28 PM
today I tearfully bid goodbye for the season to the wonderful staff and whales of Ojo de Liebre. I am also sad to report that it appears that Luis
will be retiring from whale watching and is passing on his post to his son Luis Jr. I hope he reconsiders as he has always been an excellent lanchero,
much adored by the whales, dolphins, sea lions and his passengers.
