Tourists cheer as baby whale surfaces next to boat to nuzzle passengers

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Tourists cheer as baby whale surfaces next to boat to nuzzle passengers

Posted by travelling-blogger on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 Label:

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A boat of delighted tourists had their holidays made, when a grey whale and her baby surfaced for a kiss during their vacation.

The barnacle-encrusted sea giants were calmly swimming around the boat to the excited shrieks of watching tourists in San Igancio Lagoon in Baja California, Mexico.

One lucky woman bravely leaned down to kiss the baby whale who surfaced and seemed happy to nuzzle the passengers on board the boat.

Amazing moment whale and its baby greet a tour boat in Mexico

The friendly grey whales migrate to the San Ignacio Lagoon to breed and give birth each year.

Their trip is one of the longest migrations undertaken by a mammal, covering 12,430 miles (20,000 kilometres).

The good-natured seafaring giants are not afraid of humans and commonly swim right up to human visitors, who can bravely plant a kiss on the heads of the huge 40-ton sea mammals.

The plucky sea giants inquistively swim up to the boat of tourists in the Mexican San Igancio Lagoon

Having a whale of a time! The mother and baby love the attention from the adoring tourists, getting their noses and backs rubbed

Swooped in for a kiss! One brave tourist leans in to kiss the baby who is clearly loving all the attention

LIFE OF THE GREY WHALE

Grey whales are often covered with parasites and other organisms that make them resemble crusty ocean rock.
The whale uses its snout to forage by dislodging tiny creatures from the seafloor.
Whalebone was once used to make ladies' corsets and umbrella ribs.
Like all whales, grey whales surface to breathe, so migrating groups are often spotted from North America's west coast. These whales were once the target of extensive hunting, and were in serious danger of extinction.
Today grey whales are protected by international law, and in 1994, were removed from the endangered species list.

Source: National Geographic

The 45-foot creatures have a designated area set aside for them by the Mexican authorities, where boats can't go, allowing them to raise their offspring in peace if they wish.

However the whale families are known to enjoy the attention from visiting tourist boats, and will even let people rub their tongues or kiss their heads.

Mothers have even been known to raise their calves out of the water on her back to they can be closer to the boats.

The footage comes after the recent tragic death of a woman who was thrown over board as a grey whale breached and hit her boat in Mexico.

Two other people received 'considerable' injuries but are expected to survive.

The tragedy highlights the dangers of the tourist attraction, and serves as a warning for those wanting to get up close and personal to the giant creatures.

Previous to the accident, it had been announced by Mexican authorities that the grey whale population is unusually large this breeding season in the area.

Gray Whales, Gray Whale Pictures, Gray Whale Facts - National Geographic

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