But as the cows became scarce, bull whales were also hunted, with an estimated 1, gray whales caught in the decade between and Rumors have also circulated that there were attempts to purchase the bay by both the German Kaiser and the Japanese Emperor during the early 20th century.
Its protected waters were seen as a strategic location for their military naval interests and some historical reports state that Japanese Navy submarines occupied the bay during World War II, remaining submerged during daylight to stay unseen.
Today the waters of Magdalena Bay are celebrated for their wildlife and the undisputed highlight is spotting gray whales, which can be seen breaching the surface for air and playfully splashing on re-entry. Gray whales can grow up to 35 tons and over 50 feet in length, with barnacles pockmarking their leathery skin.
They are baleen feeders, feasting on the plankton-rich waters off Alaska to create a thick layer of blubber in the lead up to their annual migration. The last to join the migration north are the females and their young, giving the calves a little more time to grow.
Orcas are their main predator and are known to pursue gray whale mothers and their calves in pods, with the tongue being a prized delicacy for the orca. Despite their history of being hunted by man to endangered status, gray whales are a conservation success story, with around 20, individuals now surviving off the Pacific coast of North America. And they do an amazing job!
There are only a few small settlements in the bay and along the large lagoon shores. The largest is Puerto San Carlos, a tiny fishing town located at the northern part of the bay, just below the elongated lagoons and extensive mangroves. The main industry here is artisanal fishing, sport fishing and eco-tourism.
The artisanal fisheries produce shrimp, lobster, clams, and octopus in a sustainable industry and is limited to the inner parts of the bay. The waters out of the bay are a superb environment for larger, more exciting species. Sport fisherman come here to battle tuna, marlin, Mahi-mahi and other pelagic fish. There is even a tuna fishing tournament which attracts many visitors and competitors.
But, there is also a big shark fishing industry on the outer side of the islands, which is not sustainable or very profitable. The eco-tours are what we are most interested in, and the options are various and plentiful. The islands, the mangroves, the bay and the open ocean all hold some amazing natural sights. Dive Ninja Expeditions collaborates with a few of the local operations in San Carlos, supporting the eco-tours and showing the community that there are sustainable ways to make a good profit, rather then exploiting endangered species.
Fishing and eco-tourism are the main industries here as well, though the fishing part is not mostly artisanal such as in San Carlos. The village has a large cannery which processes mainly sardines and tuna, caught by industrial fishing vessels in the Pacific Ocean.
Lopez Mateos is also considered one of the best places in the world to encounter Grey Whales. The legend tells, that during the whaling period, fisherman called the Grey whales Devilfish, as the whales would put up a fight when attacked by whalers, and many men were killed trying to land cows, bulls and calves.
Along the road, tall wooden poles, with platforms on their tops, have been placed to provide the ospreys and other marine birds safe nesting sites.
Caracara and turkey vultures are also a very common sight, sitting on top of centuries old cardon cacti. These giant cactus trees are also protected by law. In fact, the whole area, including the islands, bay, lagoons and mangroves are all protected by the Mexican government. The locals make sure everyone complies to the rules of the protected area, and it is completely apparent they care about their natural resources.
Flipping open my tent door in the morning, I see tall dunes surrounding us and blue water beyond. In the dining tent, an old guitar hangs on a string next to a table library of charts and books on local marine life.
Huber grew up in Puerto Alcatraz, a nearby fishing village. Before cooking, he was a turtle poacher. Many locals enjoy turtle meat, he says, particularly during Semana Santa Holy Week. Sea turtles are abundant in Magdalena Bay—but so is poaching. Nearly 20 years ago two Americans founded an organization called Grupo Tortuguero to monitor the sea turtle population and promote local conservation efforts. RED Travel helps fund its efforts. Despite a hundred or so attempts to colonize it, mile-long Magdalena Bay remains very remote.
Today there are only a couple of modest fishing towns to the north and smaller villages that live off generator power a few hours a day. Freshwater is scarce. We pull alongside to see their catch: a half dozen sea turtles to monitor. They use a specially designed net that, unlike fishing nets, allows captured turtles to rise for air.
We follow the boat to a bare stone beach jutting out into the bay. Humans are so hard to change. Then we let her go. She scurries across the stone beach into the blue water, and with a flipper fury, swims off out of sight. The monitoring done for the day, we have a beach lunch of fresh burritos and Modelo beer. Sure beats Taco Bueno back in Oklahoma. Frigate birds and pelicans watch us from the beach as we set up between the mainland mangroves and the orangey-brown, wrinkled peaks of long Isla Santa Margarita.
Perhaps dozens of gray whales are around us. Some breach above the surface for air or to make a playful splash; others send up a gusty spray as they exhale and inhale through their double blowholes. Best are those that pop their heads slowly out vertically for a look around. It has changed little, still lined with sand dunes and mangroves, its skies filled with pelicans and frigate birds, its waters with sea lions and clams. Luckily for the town and bay, prevailing winds blow its plumes of brown smoke inland.
His fisherman father, Crispin Mendoza, 78, was the first local who started taking tourists out to see gray whales here in He got the job because gringo visitors had begun asking for whale-watching rides and he was the only fisherman in town who spoke good English. These days, his son is an affable and enterprising businessman. Just to find the place, you have to stop by the whale-tour office in town and someone will lead you through a maze of dirt streets and ragtag cinder-block homes typical of rural Mexico.
The hotel rooms are modern and well-furnished except for the shortage of reading lamps. And the best I could find on the TV was a fuzzy-picture tribute to Mexican boy bands does anybody really miss Menudo? But put aside a few First World expectations. The friendly folks who run the place make up for all that, the food in the little palapa-style restaurant is tasty, and breakfast is included in your stay.
Kia and Dakota are adventure-tourism junkies. That it will be life-affirming, not exploitative. In the area we can go, there are 25 to 30 whales right now. Around far-flung corners of the bay there might be as many as whales, he says, but government regulations bar whale-watching boats from areas where mother whales typically take their calves to nurse.
Captain Marco tells us that regulations require boats to stay 30 meters away from whales about 98 feet.
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