Have you ever been on vacation somewhere that is unlike the place you call home? Maybe you live in a land-locked state and you take a vacation to the ocean where you see sea lions, dolphins, and more. Recently a group of tourist took a trip to the San Ignacio Lagoon which is located on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.

There was a small group of tourists sitting in a small boat when they noticed a large mass underneath their boat. At first they were scared, but then they realized that this large mother whale was there to have a friendly interaction. Not only did she come to visit, but she pushed her baby calf out of the water closer to the boat for the tourists to see. Every winter, hundreds of gray whales will travel about 6,000 miles from their feeding grounds in Alaska.

They choose the shallow water of the San Ignacio Lagoon to give birth and mate, typically during the months of January and April. While visiting this area, you’ll often hear an ‘ooft’ noise which is the noise of the whales exhaling out of their blow holes when they come to the surface. It has been described as the softest, most gentle and nurturing sound in the world. Watch the video below to see just how this interaction panned out.

This would be absolutely incredible to experience. The Executive Director of WiLDCOAST, Serge Dedina, said that there needs to be a balance between conservation and tourism. “There is no other area in the world where whale watching is more regulated than San Ignacio Lagoon.

In spite of the tourist activities, there are more whales than ever,” he said. “Local outfitters, the Mexican government, and conservationists have worked to eliminate most of the major threats to the whales in the Lagoon… Whale watching guides have been the biggest proponents of preserving whales along their migratory routes, and stopping planned hunts of whales. They’ve also supported a major endeavor to preserve 400,000 acres of the lagoon.”