2006 Camp Update
By Caroline Armon
March 23rd, 2006
This is the story of Mona. Mona came to our little lagoon all the way from Georgia. Full of spirit and energy, she traveled over 48 hours to be here in hopes to see and pet the famous gray whales of San Ignacio Lagoon. On the panga (boat), she was non-stop energy and excitement; however, she was a little pensive at the thought of tipping the panga. The whales came right over to Mona’s singing and calling, but Mona was a little afraid to reach out and pet them.
On the way back in to camp, I asked our panguero (boat driver) to stop while I had all nine people in the boat go to one side of the panga. Miraculously, the boat did not tip nor did it take on water. Armed with the knowledge that we were not, in fact, going to tip the boat, Mona was a true force with the whales. Responding to her exuberance and energy, it seemed every whale in the lagoon was just begging to get love from our boat. One morning a large mother whale lazed just beneath the panga while we sat in silence – just enjoying the sound of the whales all around us, the birds calling and fishing, and the mother whale’s deep breaths and gentle nudges. What an experience!
Census of Gray Whales in San Ignacio Lagoon
Date |
Cow/Calf Pairs |
Single Adults |
Total Whales |
2 February |
24 |
32 |
80 |
9 February |
56 |
43 |
155 |
23 February |
74 |
138 |
286 |
2 March |
53 |
182 |
288 |
17 March |
82 |
53 |
217 |
24 March |
95 |
9 |
199 |
30 March |
33 |
4 |
70 |
Caroline Armon
Logs & Diaries -- Guest Comments -- Field Reports -- Gray Whale Census
