Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) once ranged more widely, including the Atlantic population, which is now extinct, the critically endangered western Pacific group, and today’s eastern North Pacific population. Heavy commercial whaling in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries brought the species to the brink, especially in the calm breeding lagoons of Baja California, Mexico.

Every winter, thousands of Gray Whales complete one of the longest migrations on Earth, traveling nearly 10,000 miles from Arctic feeding grounds to the sheltered lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. Here, in February and March, travelers have the rare chance to enjoy close encounters with some of the ocean’s most gentle giants.

If you’ve ever dreamed of capturing the raw beauty of marine wildlife in action, photographing striped marlins and bait balls during the sardine run in Mexico is an unmatched experience.

When most people hear “sardine run,” their minds go straight to South Africa. However, there’s another spectacle, less commercial, more raw, and much more accessible, that takes place closer to home. Off the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, in the deep blue waters near Magdalena Bay, a lesser-known sardine run unfolds each fall.

Normally we do not condone the touching of animals, and we believe that animals should be left to their own will… but the gray whales of Baja Mexico seem to have their own plans, and ask “What’s all this no touching nonsense?? Come here and rub my face, human!!”