Gray whale diving: where and when
The longest mammal migration on record — a ~16,000–20,000 km round trip between Arctic feeding grounds and Baja California's calving lagoons, southbound Dec–Apr and north again Feb–May. 5 known encounter sites across 3 countries: Mexico, Canada and USA. Best single site: San Ignacio Lagoon, BCS, Mexico — very high reliability, peak feb-mar. No certification is required at the easiest sites — some are snorkel or freedive only.
- Sites
- 5
- IUCN status
- Least Concern (E. Pacific)
- Min. certification
- No certification
- Typical depth
- Varies by site
3 countries
Every known gray whale site
Very high reliability
San Ignacio Lagoon, BCS
Mexico
Peak Feb-Mar · n/a
No certification needed
Very high reliability
Laguna Ojo de Liebre, BCS
Mexico
Peak Feb-Mar · n/a
No certification needed
Very high reliability
Magdalena Bay, BCS
Mexico
Peak Feb-Mar · n/a
No certification needed
High reliability
Tofino, Vancouver Island
Canada
Peak Mar-Apr,Jun-Sep · n/a
No certification needed
High reliability
Central California coast (Monterey / Point Reyes)
USA
Peak Dec-Apr · n/a
No certification needed
Other whale encounters
Explore it on the globe
Pick a species, a month or a certification level and see every real encounter site plotted live, ranked by how likely you are to actually see it.
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