Today’s post comes from one of my past Baja (Mexico) photo trips. On the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula, Laguna San Ignacio is a popular and most extraordinary place to visit. This area is normally a busy fishing area for the area’s fishermen. In late fall, Gray Whales migrate here for both breeding and for the pregnant cows to give births to their calves. Once whale season is here, fishing is prohibited to keep the whales safe. In exchange for not fishing, the village fishermen are allowed, under tight regulations, to conduct whale watching excursions to tourists in their pangas (small fishing boats).
During one of our expeditions here, this “double ‘spyhop'” occurred not far from our panga:
“Spyhopping” is the activity where a whale raises himself straight out of the water, often holding that pose for a short time as he looks around to see what is going on above the water.
Photographic Equipment Used:
- Canon 1D Mark 3 camera
- Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-f/5.6 IS lens + Canon 1.4x TC
- Handheld, with IS “On”
- ISO 400
- Aperture f/9
- Shutter 1/1000 sec.