Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus), one of the most amazing big animals I have ever seen. I’ll never forget the first time I saw one. I was just down from a summer of Alaska trips and had seen a lot of humpback whales. Loads of humpback whales. We were on our way into Ensenada from Guadalupe great white sharks when I saw two 30 foot high “blows” in front of us as we approached the shallow underwater ridge (and feeding ground) off Baja… And then we saw the blue whales. The size was almost unfathomable. The back of the whale just went on and on and on until we saw the tiny dorsal fin at the back.
And then we saw the blue whales. The blue whale size was almost unfathomable. The back of the whale just went on and on and on until we saw the tiny dorsal fin at the back.
Captain Mike
All of a sudden, humpback whales shrank in our perception to being not much more than minnows. It was an experience I will never forget and once I started reading about the winter aggregation of blue whale mommas and calves off Loreto, I became determined to figure out how to share this amazing experience with our guests. Our first Baja Ultimate Whale trip on our 116-ft expedition yacht, Gallant Lady, is just in and as the following videos attest, the experience was stunning.
Fascinating Blue Whales facts
- An adult blue whale consumes up to 38 million shrimp (krill) per day consuming up to 1,500,000 calories.
- They inhale water and krill equal to their own body weight in one gulp which takes a huge amount of energy but is also very efficient, giving them an energy surplus up to 245 times the energy expended.
- An adult fills their lungs with 1300 gallons of air which gives 20 to 30 minute dives.
- Their blood is so dense with hemoglobin that it’s almost black in colour.
- Their heart is the size of a small car with a heartbeat of only 4 beats per minute.
- The blue whale size is huge and they weight up to 180 tons which is heavier than 2 fully loaded Boeing 737s.
- A newborn calf can be 25 feet long and 8000 pounds, and can grow up to 9 pounds every hour as it suckles their mother’s milk.
To experience these whales up close and personal on the whale’s terms is truly a gift that nobody should miss!
- Captain Mike
