But now, one of the biggest of those breeding and birthing grounds, Laguna San Ignacio, lies in the heart of a heated controversy. I don't know what the Mexican government is thinking. I just can't figure it out. Gray whales in the San Ignacio Lagoon often come right up to the sides of whale-watching boats. Getting there requires navigating two hours of treacherous road through an area that ESSA describes as barren and worthless.
Peregrine falcons thrive there, as do endangered pronghorn antelope and black sea turtles.
It is home to one of the West Coast's largest brown pelican rookeries. Anyone who has seen film footage of friendly grays approaching boats has witnessed the scene at San Ignacio. Even from aboard the Big Sur Clipper, whale watchers remain at a slight distance from the grays. Unlike humpbacks, which are often extremely gregarious, grays rarely approach boats in the open sea. But at San Ignacio, they seem to enjoy human company.