We have had more Orcas in the area then in previous years. At least this has been MY experience and I have heard it said by others also. This does not necessarily portend anything but if my observations are correct then indeed something is going on. I do recall however that last year people were telling me of all the Orcas they had seen and I had seen none.

My first experience since the fantastic Orca Swim I made some months ago was on June 5th. I was doing my morning workout on the beach when I sighted what I thought at first were a small group of young HBs, Pilot Whales or large Dolphins. As I continued to watch them I realized that they were in fact Orcas. I knew I couldn’t get to my gear and back out in time to intercept them in my kayak but I was close enough to my neighbor Leslie Cook’s house to hail her. I did and she responded by getting her SUP board launched and off she went on their trail. They were too far away for Leslie to catch them but I sure have to admire her “gumption” in going out after Orcas at all. “Good on ya”, Leslie.

There was a huge solar flare on the 7th of June, very impressive. I don’t think there were any particularly dramatic affects here on Earth though.

Not my pic

My very special friend Terry Kerr from N. Carolina came to visit me on the 8th, and I will just say that my world has been brightened, expanded and made more beautiful.

Terry Kerr

On the 12th, Terry, Alan, Marilyn and I went out for a day of searching (always looking for whales), diving and fishing. We had an unexpected and terrific encounter with……yes, Orcas again!!! There were between 4-6 of them, no big males that I could see, all females and a couple of pretty young ones no more than 10’ long. They played around the panga and at one point, one of them surfaced for a blow, a look and a dive no more than 5’ away from where Terry sat at the bow of the boat. The look of ecstatic joy on her face was too good to do anything but enjoy, so no picture. Here are some shots that will give you an idea. These were taken by Alan Pomeroy except for the first one, that's mine.





Later we went to the restaurant, “1535” (the date of Hernan de Cortez first landing on the Baja peninsula) on the beach at Bahia Los Muertos for a great lunch; all in all, a wonderful day.

Pelicans at the Bahia Los Muertos boat ramp, Terry's pic

I haven’t been out at Sea much lately, wind has been up again, but plan to make a tank dive with Alan on Saturday. I did get out to greet The Summer Solstice Sunrise in my kayak on the 21st and that was nice. I had intended to do my BreathWave and Meditation out there but The Sea was a bit too restless, so I paddled in and did my beach workout and laps.

It’s starting to heat up down here so I have been out at night hunting scorpions. If I get them now there will be less when it turns wet. I am borrowing a UV flashlight from Alan that LITERALLY makes the scorpions shine like bright yellow neon, easy to see from a long way off.

My good friend “Bub”, my Spiny Tailed Iguana friend checking out the action.

"Bub"

That’s about it for this go around. Hope you are all well and that life is good!

I had a nice kayak experience in early May when I went out and encountered good numbers of both Pacific Common Dolphins and Mobulas. I did swim with The Mobulas but The Dolphins were moving far to fast for me too catch up to and go in. As I was returning I heard a snort and figured it was one of my Sea Lion friends and there he was, about 50’ away and cruising the other way. I called out to him, he turned his head to me and I called again, saying, “yeah you, come on over”. Well he looked curious so I said a few more things and damned if he didn’t come right up close, dove under the kayak and then scooted off.

This is not the Sea Lion I am writing about but one I photographed about 5 years ago, same situation though.

The other day I was working in my yard and stopped for a moment to prune one of the Acacia bushes. As I looked closer I saw that the stems and leaves were covered with insects of all kinds just busier than could be. I saw 3 or 4 different species of wasp, 2 species of ant, 2 species of beetle and about 4 species of fly. I mean it was crowded! I have very little training in Entomology but I am a biologist (sometimes) so I tried to get some photos. My camera is not made for this kind of shooting so I didn’t get too many good shots but here are a couple. I went to a N. American guide to insects but could not definitively identify anything…..frustrating! Interesting nevertheless.

2 different wasps I believe

The other day I also was inspired by an early wakening to go out to The WZ before the Sun came up. It was a beautiful morning and I got out there just before Grandfather rose. I practiced my BreathWave and then meditated, as always, way cool. No encounters except with Grandfather Sun. Coming in I saw my good friend Alex Cook launching his SUP (stand up paddle board) so asked him if he would like some company. He said yes so we paddled to the south end of our little inlet and back talking about everything from “nuts to bolts”. Great time.

The other night some friends took me to dinner at Antonio’s in Los Algodones. While there I asked Antonio if he had seen any whales recently. I was surprised to hear that during the last 2 days fishing he had seen 5 Humpbacks. I mentioned how my funds were finished for this season but I’d sure like to go out one more time if there was a chance for an ID and/or swim. He said not to worry, he would take me out just for the cost of the gas. Now that’s kindness! We are going out next week to see if just maybe there is a straggler about.

El Cardonal’s annual fishing tournament is this weekend. There will probably be around 40-50 boats competing. Then a big fish feed in the village with all monies going to the school. I went out once with Alan and Jorge and we did all right, in fact Jorge won a fishing pole and reel for his Dorado.

Start of the Tournament from my roof

Local kids hanging out after the tournament

Here’s a recent picture of my daughter Kersti that could become my favorite

Ain’t she somethin'!

I went out on the 27th hoping for an encounter with some critter and lucked out. About 1½ miles out I saw a Blue Whale! Late in the season going North (?), too far away for me to try and intercept but just being within a couple of hundred yards of one is exciting. I love Blue Whale energy.

Not the Blue I'm talking about but one of the 2 Blues ID'd by me this season

My Sweet Thing from N. Carolina, Terry Kerr, sent me this picture of a snake that confronted her on her driveway. Not a viper but quite a snake, no? Bit the hand of her neighbor boy Ryan, who came to the rescue….a real Southern Gentleman.

"Mr. Black"

I was saddened over The Memorial Day weekend to see all the hoopla about heroic soldiers and not a mention that in EVERY war EVER, civilian casualties outnumber military by at least 2 to 1 and more often 7 to 1. These people did not “volunteer” to take a bullet for their country. These are men, women and CHILDREN who are simply “collateral damage”. INSANE!! I would like to see THEM memorialized!

June first I went out with my friend Antonio to look for Humpbacks. It was of course very late in the season and I was out of funds but Antonio offered to take me out for just gas money. Now that’s generosity. He appreciates my work and gets a kick out of watching me swim with critters. We went out and after not seeing anything for 3½ hrs I decided to make one more sweep in front of El Cardonal. Just about when we were ready to come in we get a call on the radio from one of Antonio’s buddies down at Los Barriles who just saw 2 HBs go south by his boat. Well, Antonio turned right around and we hustled back the 15 miles we had just come and found them. I got two reasonable but not world class IDs and then as a celebration of Sweet Thing’s Birthday I dove in with them. No close encounter but always damn fine to be in the water with The Whale People. It looked like they were probably two young males on their first solo to the Arctic without their moms.

Flank shot of HB# 46 11 & 47 11

I’ll end by wishing my son Zack, HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY, finest young man I know! June 2nd, 2011

My little "Golden Boy"

My son, the man

HB# 44 11

Here is my last ID of the season; the picture even has the look of a goodbye doesn’t it? There are still a few whales in the area, 3 were seen (not by me) 5 days ago but not enough to spend precious funding on. Out of the 45 whales encountered by me this year while searching, I only got maybe 11 really good fluke IDs. A good half of the whales were mother/calf pairs so no fluke shots there (mothers won’t dive deep when with their calves who can’t) and as always the bright, high Baja sun often makes the exposure impossible, particularly of a black fluke. Great season nonetheless, how could it not be, with lots of close encounters, Orca swims and special treats like a “singer” under our panga. I am indeed blessed by The Great Mystery and am very appreciative of my unique place in life and Grandmother Ocean at this time.

On the 6th my good friend Jorge (George Sievers) and I actually got the reef study in gear!! It is what I had expected to be putting my research time in on until I began seeing all the whales. Well, year-by-year, a little bit more preparation was put into it and this last week Jorge and I did the first serious work. I must thank Jorge for keeping me on track with this project, if had not been for him I may never have really gotten it off the ground. I include Alan and Marilyn Pomeroy in this too because their help last year was invaluable. This study requires a great deal more finesse and includes SCUBA diving, underwater photography; transect development and at times just brute strength. I am proud to say that we “old timers” were both up to the task and had a ball doing it!

As with all field work there are unexpected glitches in the plans and that held true for us when we actually started laying out the rope line that was to run between our two anchor points at each end of the transect. Now most of you are probably not interested in such procedural technicalities but believe me they are both infuriating and exhilarating when overcome and make up 90% of the field time. In this case there was a significant current running and we could not get the bow out of the line to get it stretched between the two anchors. After adding lots of extra line, many dives by Jorge and my paddling my ass off trying to drag the line to the second anchor we actually did it!

Here’s a picture of the line that we laid or at least part of it.

Visibility has not been good at all as you can see. At least the water is warm, which it NEVER was when I worked for The UC Marine Lab in Bodega Bay, talk about bad conditions to dive in! We left the buoys out overnight, took a days break and then went out again on the 8th to do our first test pass over the transect. Jorge picked me up on the beach with all my dive gear and we motored out to the reef. Jorge set the timer on his camera to capture this all important and historic moment just before we went under.


Visibility sucked but there was little to no wind and a lot less current. While I tested my recording technique, Jorge tested his camera. He also got shots of us and I am beginning to get a sense of what the critters think when they see me. No wonder those Orca moms (see archives) came real close with their calves to check me out last month.

Jorge

Me. Do I look completely demented or what?

We both learned a few things and number one was that we have to do this in July or August when the waters are clear and then again in October/November. The reef does not look particularly good and unfortunately that is the case worldwide. I won’t go into a long dissertation about this but BELIVE me, we’ve got a real bad SITUATION here folks!!!

Not a healthy looking reef!

Even worse!

NEVERTHELESS, I am by nature a positive person and we still have time…but not much. After we collected all our gear from the bottom, and did a damn fine job of it, we got back aboard for a little R & R.

End of the first transect test

It was still early in the day and Jorge wanted to hit a few special dive spots between our reef and Punta Perico so we motored to them and did some additional diving. Here along the cliffs of Bahia los Muertos Jorge did some spear fishing and I finished the air in my tank just checking out the area.


Oh, and before that we came across a bunch of Mobulas that we dove in with and had a ball checking them out. As well as some Pacific Common Dolphin that went by in a herd of about 200.


Beautiful.....no?

Then on to Punta Perico where Jorge finished his air and I snorkeled. By that time we were both pretty tired so decided to head for home. By the time we got back to the beach where I could be dropped off the steering on Jorge’s boat went out and he couldn’t get back to his mooring. I helped as much as I had the energy for and then Jorge had to deal with the boat. Fortunately, like myself, Jorge has endeared himself to our Mexican community and help was available.

It was one of those days that men (I know this sounds chauvinistic, so be it) dream of, testing ourselves physically, accomplishing what we set out to do and doing it with camaraderie. Thanks Jorge, it was a special day for me.

It’s been a while since I posted. Took a trip back to The States to honor my daughter Kersti’s birthday. Great time had by all. Kersti has a way of bringing the family together and then treating us to her and husband Bill’s hospitality. It was truly a wonderful day and evening, thanks kiddo.

Kersti Marie Kaldveer, age 1 day, April 23rd, 1969

Kersti Evans, just the other day taking a break in Las Vegas

Talking with Kersti's first cousin Jimmy & wife at the party, more pics to come later

Went out on my first full day back, 27th, and met up with a mother & calf while in my kayak…very cool!! Tried real hard to get close but too far away.

Went out with Vicente on the 28th, yesterday, and got three more IDs, all three moving north which was a surprise but picked up two of them again later going south. No really good fluke shots, but good comparisons. Vicente dropped me off in perfect position to swim with the mom & calf (#’s 41 & 42) but they dove just before getting to me and the water was again not clear enough for me to see them. Vicente said they passed right underneath me, oh for Hawaiian clear waters!


HB# 41 11

HB# 43 11, check out the scarring on this guy, young but been doing some fighting or gotten entangled
Going out for the last time tomorrow if winds hold.

The following was written before I left on the 14th of April.

For a number of years now I have been attempting to intercept and have close encounters (get within 10”-20’) with the Humpbacks in my kayak as they are migrating through my area. Though I’ve had maybe 4 or 5 during that time it is the result of a large number of times out in my kayak, lots of patience and most often just good luck. I have been within 100’ many times but there is something real special about being right alongside one.

The other day, April 8th, I was paddling out to The WZ as usual and hoping for a sighting, maybe an encounter, when I saw what looked like a HB dorsal fin go under. I figured it was about ½ mile away and heading south. I was really not at all sure it was a whale but my instincts said it was. I chose an angle of intercept and a location where I thought it might resurface.

About 10 minutes later this whale came up literally 30’ away from me, to my right and a bit behind me. Couldn’t have been more perfect! I started paddling to stay with it and get a bit closer when I see that the whale is turning and coming to me. Before I could get in the water, I was really taken by surprise; it dove just before getting to me and without even a ripple, passed no more than 6’ underneath my kayak. The water was very clear right there so I saw it’s whole body glide past. Talk about cool, I had never had that happen before.

I thought about trying to meet it again but then I saw 2 more HBs coming towards me from the north and pretty much to the same spot. I waited and then saw them again but they had veered to the SE and passed about 60’ away. I chased them for a while but just couldn’t paddle fast enough.

Feeling good already I thought I would wait a little longer and see if I was going to be even luckier. Well, here comes another one. Again I calculate my intercept point and…yes, I’m right on it, the whale surfaces only 30’ away and like the other one this one turns toward me and glides underneath my kayak even closer than the first one. I thought for sure it was going to lift me right out of the water he was so close! Beautiful sight to see it’s whole body slip by and my kayak didn’t even move.

Two close encounters like that in one day is a totally new experience for me and I am stoked! I look north again because that’s where they should be coming from at this time of year (remember, I am in The Sea of Cortez) and damn, there’s a big splash from what I know is a breaching HB. This one is far away, maybe 2-3 miles, but I am sure coming my way. I’m in THE WHALE ZONE and they are here, hurrah! I put on my gear this time in anticipation of a swim with it. I wonder what gringos in passing fishing boats think when they see me out there where there is certainly no diving (I’m 2 miles out from the reef), yet sitting in my kayak, fins on my feet, mask on and red bandana over my head.
As I wait I continue to see it moving closer and I adjust my position accordingly. But wait, it’s not one, it’s two…no three and they are coming just a little to my right. I paddle to match their movement but then two of them fluke up about 100’ away and I know they are lost to me. I know there is a third and they were close, YES! here’s number three now on my left and only 30-40’ away. I start paddling to intercept and then this one TOO decides to take a look. This time I bail out of my kayak before it reaches me and I have the distinct pleasure of being no more than 10’ from it and right over it’s back. I swim with it for just a few seconds and it is gone into the depths.

By this time I’m a bit warn out and I still have a couple of miles to kayak in to the beach so I choose to go in. Best day I have EVER HAD in my kayak for encounters. PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS! Of course it doesn’t hurt to live 150 yds from The Sea and have all the time in the world to kayak (barring the wind). I am thankful to The Great Mystery and all The God/Goddesses who have blessed me.

I went out with Vicente the next day and got 5 more IDs so my season has not been that bad at all. 40 is a righteous number. Here is one of the recent ones (April 9th)

HB# 37 11

And here’s a pic of “Odin" and me (HB# 34 11, April 6th) just before I decided to go in. Courtesy of Ann Marie.


Glad to be back home in Shangri-La, carrying the love of my family with me.

On the 26th of March Alan Pomeroy invited me to dinner to have one of our “Dinners with Andre” series. He cooked a delicious shrimp linguini and suggested the topic of dreams, memory and sleep. I cannot even begin to describe how much I enjoy these times with Alan. The atmosphere is so very “ civilized” that I often feel transported into another dimension and the dialogue is so refreshing.

Went out to look for whales on the 29th and found 3. Good day but I was feeling a bit weak and that always both disappoints me and to some degree frightens me. It is my 70th year and all that but damn, I’m not ready to feel like this…..even occasionally! Yeah, I know…..surrender to the inevitable.


Mom & Calf

Good ID, HB# 14 11

Two dear friends from many years, Nancy & Janet

April first however I kayaked out to the whale zone, and though saw little, decided to do some laps in. I did 20 over the reef and then got cold but felt a certain delight in having done it at all.

Ah, but…..something wrong with my eye. Oh good, I have a cataract developing in my left eye. Surgery indicated……damn!!! OK, got to surrender to that now.

I am also suffering from the disappointment of a very, very light season on IDs……and then, I go out on the 4th of April and get 14 IDs, almost a record. Here are two of the better ones.

HB# 20 11

HB# 27 11

So I go out again on the 6th of April and conditions are exquisite. The Sea is like glass and there are whales about. Our third encounter is with a whale that is putting on a breaching exhibition.


We approach him/her to get a fluke shot and it gives us many, sort of like…..”hey, watch this, and now let me show you who I am” (a flukes up).

HB#1 08, HB#8 09, HB#34 11 "Odin"

Then I get this idea that I want to go in with this whale, it is like inviting me into the action. he is definitely calling me!

I suit up and Vicente tries his best to get me in good position but the best we can do is about 75 feet. I dive in and see him on the surface but can’t swim closer, he’s moving to fast. “He” did I say? Exactly, because when I get home and put the photos on my computer I recognize him right away….it’s “Odin”, the whale my son Zack adopted in 2008! This is the ONLY returnee whale I have gotten into my grid not only once but twice, AIN”T THAT A HOOT!

I am going out again Friday afternoon if the winds hold. Who knows what to expect, eh?

With a pretty good start in early and mid February of a few (10) IDs of Humpbacks, a combination of winds and deeper water transits (?) and my whale friends all but disappeared. It is now March 25th and during the intervening time I have only ID’d 3 more. The last week the winds came up once again and I have not been able to get out to The Whale Zone for some time. There have been few whales seen by the local fisherman also. The whales are fine and in good numbers, as indicated by my colleagues and friends in other parts of Baja Sur, just not here. I may hold in reserve what is left of this years funds to go out next season. Disappointing for sure especially as I had a banner year last season.

I had my first flat on the road the other day. I had just picked up Alan and Marilyn at the airport, had a dynamite dinner at Apolonia’s Greek Restaurant in Los Barriles, done our grocery shopping and were almost home as the sun set and then the rear tire blows. Bummer! No flashlight but Marilyn used her palm pilot to light things enough to find the tools etc. Fortunately I did have a full donut so with a fair amount of grunting and groaning Alan and I got the spare on and we were off again.

This is my new and very dear friend from North Carolina, Terry Kerr, who arrived here about two weeks ago with some friends of mine from Ukiah.

Even though Terry is a total non swimmer and never before in a kayak she trusted me to take her out to The WZ. That’s two miles out and a depth of around 600’. Terry was a bit nervous at first, talk about pushing your fear envelope, but after a bit she was clearly enjoying the experience. We didn’t see much out there that day but it was a really beautiful time. I always marvel at the courage of other people!

The next day I went out on a search in the panga and Terry volunteered to come along. This was after 4 times out without a sighting but we were no sooner launched than Alan spotted some blows directly out in front of us and about 1 ½ miles out (Alan is becoming one hell of a spotter). It was a group of 3 whales, one of which may have been a yearling. This year around 50% of the Humpbacks encountered in our area had either new borns or yearlings with them. The largest of this group (female probably) has a “stunning” tail. Terry suggested the name “Dottie”.


The smallest whale did not fluke up and the other adult only gave me a “short shot” with it’s flukes so not a good ID but sufficient for a comparison someday maybe. Here’s the other two with one of the two giving me the “short shot”.


Last Monday (21st) my old friend John Erving (his pic was in an earlier post in the cockpit of a biplane) brought his charming and lovely wife Kristine, son John & his wife Jeanine and their two children, Mary Jane and Grant for a visit.


From left, John Jr., Mary Jane, Kristine, Grant, Jeanine, John

The idea was that I would give them the full on Baja experience; whales, kayaking, snorkeling and hiking. It was not to be. The day after they arrived the wind began to blow and here it is Friday and the wind has not stopped!

I did get a chance to do a bit of snorkeling with his grandson Grant among the rocks around Punta Pescadero and that was a treat, though I had to occasionally grab his leg and pull him away from getting too close to the rocks….well, he is 9 and knows no fear, right!



Even the trip out to the Native Indios pictographs didn’t happen because of a faulty car battery requiring a long walk through the desert back to the nearest village and getting someone to take us back to El Cardonal.

Hoofing it through the desert to Boca del Alamo

Later in the afternoon we went to Alan and Marilyn's for a poolside get together and that was real nice, everybody had a good time. Here's Alan and marilyn in front of their home "kicking back".

not my pic

Now during that whole time, The Erving’s were jovial, gracious and indefatigable. I of course was deeply disappointed that I could not give these fine and deserving friends a real memorable experience. Yet in all sincerity they thanked me with kind and appreciative words for my efforts. When I was just a boy, and John and I hung out together, I was often in the presence of his family. It was always their graciousness that made me feel so at home and part of their clan. John’s mother especially, to me always “Mrs. Erving”, extended her gentle soul to me and softened the loneliness of a boy whose mother worked very hard and was gone most of the time and whose father was missing since the war. That graciousness is a mark of the Erving clan and I feel grateful to have been a part of it again.

Yesterday I watched two Hooded Orioles fighting for nesting space under my palapa. Though there was some serious fighting that took place on the ground it was their “dog fighting” (ie. Airplanes) that literally left me in awe. The way they flew so fast and so sure as they barreled through the foliage was really remarkable. I got my camera out but hopeless to catch them. Here’s a pic I found online because I couldn't find my bird pics from before.


Hooded Oriole, not my pic