A kiss that nearly swept me off my feet…
This one was surely no point of my Top 10 “What I want to achieve in this life” list. I never thought about it before.
On all our journeys respectful Whale Watching and a soft way to encounter whales and dolphins are very close to my heart. We are guests of the sea mammals. They are the hosts. Mostly we are moving through their sleeping- and living rooms. It is not only the aspect of their protection and sustainability, which is important to us. It is more – we want to be welcome and do not disturb and for sure, we do not want to be a stressor! We let them choose whether they want to get in contact with us or not.
Whales and dolphins are living in a complex society and in a three-dimensional, weightless environment, which is not ours. Only for a very limited time we can spend some time in their deep blue world respectively go out with the boats on the ocean to visit them.
Still we get the chance to encounter them. Currently we are on a journey through the Baja California, travelling from bay to bay on the tracks of the BIG whales. Amongst them of course also the Gray whales.
The 13-15 meter large whales (named after Mr. Gray) do long distance migrations of 6000 km one-way to mate and give birth in the shallow Mexican bays of Baja California. In the past they were strongly hunted in this region, which stopped fortunately in the early 50s of the past century. Just shortly after, fishermen took the first guests out on the ocean to visit the Gray whales. This is where the touristic Whale Watching has its origin. This was the beginning between a hopefully long-lasting friendship between Gray whales and humans.
There are many friendly Gray whales, which are coming close to the small Mexican Lanchas, on which are not more than 10 people. They are the only cetacean species to which an approach within petting distance is possible. However, that is not always the case!! Not rarely they see-saw around underneath the boat, breach out directly next to the boat, breath and a smooth drizzling rain – their blow – draggles us (take care of your camera!). Sometimes they protrude their head directly next to the boat. And I really mean DIRECTLY. They are really looking for contact with the boats and the people. It is incredible, to be part of it and to experience it live.
Often it is the case, that the calves are allowed to play with people on board while the mothers lie relaxed but attentive aside and let the intimate meeting happen. Yet, sometimes they do not!
Which other wild animal permits humans to play with their descendants? Moreover, they like it; apparently, they love the feeling to be splashed by water in the face. They allow us to touch and get in contact with them. This again is touching for us – completely disregarding the once in a lifetime haptic experience. They are smooth and soft like silk and at the same time firm as gum.
I can still feel this skin contact and I am able to recall this sensation. Gray whales are known to have barnacles and lice on their marvelous soft skin (there are 4 different parasites that can be found on their bodies). Sometimes they are itching; hence a human hand that rabbles a bit isn’t the worst that could happen.
The first “friendly” encounter with a Gray whale was recorded in 1976. The whale was named “Nacho”. In the following year, it was the Gray whale lady “Amazing Grace” who was specifically looking for the contact with a rubber dinghy of an explorer couple. Every “whale season” the number of “friendly” whales was increasing. Apparently, it got around that it is possible to have fun with this strange species on the boats. It is also very advantageous to dispense the baby at the “Human Kindergarten” and to discharge the occupied mother of her breeding duties.
Always when we had such an encounter of the special kind with the animals, everyone thought: Alright, nothing can top that! Increases seem always to be possible. After every one of us touched a whale already on the first tour (it really is not happening always!), we came back happy with beaming eyes and a permanent grin to our camp, direct at the ocean.
On an evening walk at the beach I reflected about the Whale kiss. The captains invited us repeatedly to pet and kiss those “30- 40 tons heavy weights”. I thought it is unnecessary to kiss a whale and would have never had the idea to kiss one. Is that the right way of the encounter between human and whale?
On the next day we were of course again out on the ocean, after all it was the reason for us being here – far away from the civilization in a Wi-Fi free zone with compost loo. Furthermore it is impossible to get enough of whales but especially of Gray whales – every excursion is differently and we got to experience so many different ways of behavior.
Again we had some „friendly whales“, how they are called here, at the boat. Mother with calf were playing around, staying close to the boat. Also the mother was very interested. She stayed close and let us touch her. Then she was breaching with her head out of the water. Sticking her head towards me, directly in front of the boat, in front of me. I could not help it. I wasn’t thinking anymore. I did it!
I suppose, even while writing, I blushed a little… it was just a shy, flighty kiss, which nearly swept me off my feet because the Gray whale mother was lifting her head with great vehemence! Embarrassed as a Teeny I declared: Oh, eventually I kissed a whale. I never meant to do so.
I could not help it. The first kiss goes deep and will never be forgotten…
The vidoclip on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PbNcloyUdo&feature=youtu.be
