Guide Report
Gray Whales of San Ignacio Lagoon
February 21, 2014
By: Hayley Carmody
At Campo Cortezevery group is having friendly encounters and the whales are showing off in the
way we all love to see. They come up to the boats to see all the happy people
and end up staying at the boats to play. On the first day out within 5 minutes
we had a friendly whale. She stayed with the boats for the whole time we were
in the observation area. Everyone got to play with her and a few lucky people
even got sprayed in the face by a whale. We decided that whale snot is the best
way to shower.
Everyone comes
here to see the gray whales, but we also try to introduce people to the local
culture and industries. Valentine, Maldo’s brother and fellow boat driver, is a
scallop fisherman when he isn’t taking people to see whales. On the way back
from one trip he stopped by one of the scallop boats to bring back an example
of how the process occurs. During lunch everyone sat there mesmerized as he
showed us the scallop inside the shell that we had been eating.
Ali, 11 years old from Florida, came
here with her family and upon eating her first fresh made tortilla she needed
to see the whole process. On the final night she went back to the kitchen
palapa and sat with Katie, Maldo’s wife, and they made tortillas for the final
dinner. It was then that she learned that even though Katie made it look so
easy it is really quite difficult. The ladies here begin to learn how to make
tortillas at a very young age and perfect the art over time. We look forward to
seeing how Ali has improved next time she comes to Campo Cortez.