Yesterday, our last full day in Baja California, Mexico, we decided to try our luck on a whale-watching expedition out of the port of Ensenada. The gray whale migration, which typically occurs between late December and March every year along the west coast of North America, had just gotten underway, and while we knew our chances might not be too good for actually spotting any whales, we figured we’d at least get out on the water and enjoy some of the sights around Ensenada.

After navigating our way down to the waterfront, we boarded a fairly seaworthy-looking vessel with about 35 other passengers. Most seemed to be Mexican families and couples enjoying the day after New Year’s, and most had wisely dressed more as if they were embarking on a polar expedition rather than a short cruise off the Baja California coast. While we weren’t in shorts and Hawaiian shirts, we did wish we had worn another layer or two and also brought gloves and hats. The cool, foggy day at least was without much wind, and we found we could stand time on deck as long as it was interspersed with time below in the cabin. One thing we were all grateful for was the fact that we had taken a dose of Dramamine before boarding. Although the sea was fairly calm, there was enough of a swell to leave a few guests looking decidedly green around the gills.

Ensenada’s harbor is situated inside of Todos Santos Bay and contains a lively mix of private marinas, sportfishing docks, a cruise ship terminal and a navy yard. While we waited to cast off, we were entertained with the sights of enormous brown pelicans and sea gulls swooping through the air and perching on neighboring boats. Those ungainly pelicans are some of the most awkward and cumbersome-looking fowl I have ever seen, and so I enjoyed seeing them in flight later in the day out over open waters. Small groups of them, flying in a rough V formation, would skim mere inches above the ocean, only occasionally flapping those enormous wings. It is some kind of aerodynamic miracle that they stay aloft with such little apparent effort.

We slowly made our way out of the harbor and headed toward the Todos Santos Islands several miles offshore. At least, we believed that’s where we were heading, based on the map we’d received as we boarded, for the fog and low clouds obscured much farther than a quarter mile out or so. Over the next hour and a half we observed seals and seabirds bobbing in the water, and once or twice we spied a few dolphins barely breaking the surface quite a ways out from the boat. Our course looped out around the islands (which finally did emerge from the fog), and though all aboard were anxiously scanning the horizon for any sign of whales, we turned back toward land disappointed.

The rhythmic rocking of the boat left all in our party feeling drowsy, and with nothing new to see, we dozed in the cabin as we made our way in. After a while, though, I realized that the sun was burning through the clouds, turning the gray sea to blue. Not long after that, the cabin quickly cleared; something was obviously going on! We made it to the upper deck in time to be entertained by a school of dolphin, twenty or more, torpedoing toward our boat and leaping into the air as they came. Several times we seemed to motor beyond where they were playing, only to have them circle around and come at us again. They seemed to be as delighted as we mammals in the boat to have the sun sparkling on the water. As we got closer to land, they fell behind us, but everyone’s spirits remained high as we shared our pictures and excitement over that brief contact with the sleek creatures.

Our day ended farther up the coast in the tiny town of Puerto Nuevo, reknowned for its many restaurants serving up the local specialty, lobsters. We chose Ortega’s Patio based on it’s charming ambiance and the tortillas being cooked in the front window. We were not disappointed. The lobster was delicious, the decor delightful, and the strolling mariachi band provided just the right touch. We left feeling we had ended our Mexican holiday on a high note.

Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader