We stayed on an island in Magdalena Bay where gray whales migrate each year to court, mate, and give birth to their young. The gray whales were really friendly, coming right up to the boat. They would kind of play games where they’d go under the boat, and they’d pop up. Then they would sit there, then go back down. It was a really intimate experience.

As someone who is really interested in marine ecology and conservation, I want to make sure that I’m not contributing to a problem of animal harassment. All interactions were from the boat. Our captain would approach the whales very slowly. You could tell that he loved the whales. The drone photo, to me, captures the respect we had for these enormous mammals as we carefully followed them, juxtaposed against the vibrant turquoise sea.

Everyone was so appreciative of our visit. We were one of the first groups to travel during COVID, and we felt very safe the entire time.

Stefanie Plein
Mexico | Baja Peninsula