What do Ventura and Baja, California, have in common during the last two weeks of March and the first week of April? They are on the migration path of the gray whale, going north to Alaska. Some of the whales go all the way to the Bering Sea.

I just came back from an incredible week in Baja’s Sea of Cortez, observing gray whale mothers and calves, humpback whales and blue whales, plus colonies of brown boobies and blue-footed boobies (those are sea birds). I am bubbling with new things to share with you. So, my suitcase is half unpacked and the wash can wait.

Since the migration time through our area is short, I want to make sure you are aware that now is the time to go to Ventura Harbor and jump at the chance to board a whale-watching boat. By the first week of April, the gray whales will be farther north, and you will have to wait another year for the chance the see mom and baby swimming together on their long journey.

Photos by Evelyne Vandersande

If you need any convincing, let me tell you a little of what I saw in the Bay of Magdalena, because it was a dream come true for me.

I’ve wanted to see the gray whales and their babies for many years, but we were never able to take a week off at this time of the year while my husband was working. Now that he has retired, the dream finally became possible, and I can tell you that being so close to those huge but slow and gentle creatures was awe inspiring.

The mothers come to these protected waters in January. The water is quiet, warm and safe, and it is a perfect place to give birth. The males stay at the entrance to the inlet and leave the mothers alone to give birth and raise the calf to prepare it for the long migration.

It is an ideal nursery, and at this time of year, the calves are of good size, not scared any more. They spend the day alongside their mom, swimming in gentle unison to develop their muscles.

Only local “pangeros” with a permit are allowed to approach the whales. This permit stays in the family and is transferred from father to son. It is an honor that is highly regarded, and each small boat that approaches a whale is respectful of the large animals.

Something rather interesting has been happening in the last five years, with the same behavior being observed in British Columbia: Some whales are curious about us little human beings and want to observe us.

This is not true of all whales; many could not care less, and just keep on swimming peacefully back and forth with baby frolicking along. But some whales seem to become interested. When people flap their hands in the water, the animals come alongside the dinghy, poke their heads out of the water and welcome being petted. Mom and baby do that and hang alongside the dinghy for about five minutes, turning their heads to observe us with one big eye, then taking off again.

After these encounters, I have even seen the baby doing a few excited breeches (jumping out of the water) like a puppy having fun. Petting a whale is not something I could bring myself to do. I was so emotional that just being close to this large animal was enough for me. The respect I have for wildlife, the fear of passing my germs, and also the unease I have to make them desire to be too close to humans prevented me from touching them. After all, they are still chased by Russian boats in the Bering Sea, so I didn’t want to encourage their contact with humans.

However, I saw day after day the same sight: The whales that were interested were the ones coming to the boats and checking us out. One has to wonder why. With the large size of their brain, we know they are highly intelligent animals. They are also powerful, and our little dinghy would not stand a chance against their size. A flap of their tail would have sent us flying or capsized us.

Every time, there was a sense of calm and interested curiosity coming from the whales. People could even reach inside the mouth that they would open up and brush the baleen vigorously like a dog getting a good pet. Strangely enough, there was even a sense of glee from the whales when they would decide to leave us.

Being able to see their two blowholes close up and being sprayed by them was certainly exciting, but seeing their large eyes observing us was humbling. They would turn their heads from side to side to get a better look.

Reportedly, their skin feels soft but firm and slightly rubbery. The gray whale has a dark gray color plus gray and white patterns that are scars left by parasites which drop off in its cold feeding grounds. They are about 16 feet long when they are newborn and reach 43 to 49 feet as adults. The females are a bit larger than males. An adult can weigh up to 40 tons, with an average of 15 to 33 tons.

They do not have teeth, but rather baleen, which is light blond and rather short like a long brush. They do not have dorsal fin, but dorsal crenulations (knuckle-like bumps) on the midline of the rear quarter.

I can tell you that many of my pictures look like they are of a large sea serpent, because those crenulations stick out of the water. This is known as the dorsal ridge. The tail is about 10 to 11 feet wide. On the gray whale this is always black, while the humpback whale has white patches.

Females become sexually mature at about 8 years old and mate with many partners from late November to early December. The gestation period is about 13 ½ months long, and the birth will always happen at the end of the long migration in the warm water of Baja in January.

The calf is born tail-first and is about 13 feet long. The female lactates for about seven months, and the baby pushes on the nipple to get the milk flowing. The milk has the consistency of cottage cheese because it is so high in fat and is easily gobbled up in the water by the baby.

The babies will be ready for the long journey from late March to mid-April. They will travel night and day at a speed of about 5 mph, covering about 75 miles every 24 hours to go all the way to Alaska to find those great feeding grounds. This is the longest annual migration of any mammal.

Go to Ventura Harbor. It is just a hop and a skip from Santa Clarita. Board one of the whale-watching boats before the first week of April. It is an incredible experience to see this wonder of nature. You don’t want to miss it.

Evelyne Vandersande has been a docent at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center for 28 years. She lives in Newhall.