Author James Michael Dorsey – The Friendly Whales of San Ignacio Lagoon

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Before They Vanish" Podcast, explorer and author James Michael Dorsey returns to talk about the gray whales he has spent decades getting to know in Baja's San Ignacio Lagoon, and about his book, "The Lagoon: Encounters with the Whales of San Ignacio." Once hunted to the edge of extinction, these forty-ton animals now swim right up to the boats to be petted, and James explains why he calls the lagoon the only place on earth where wild animals in their natural habitat routinely seek out human contact.

James traces his love of whales to a sea kayaking trip in British Columbia in 1996, when a pod of three orcas swam close enough to touch, and to his first trip to Baja in 1998. He describes hearing whales through the hull of a kayak, how gray whales navigate the coast without echolocation, and how the lagoon works as a nursery where mothers train their calves and then bring them to the boats to play.

The conversation also covers the challenges the whales face, including warming waters, starvation, ship strikes, and the need for stronger protections. It also covers Mexico's protection of the lagoon, the difference between whales and dolphins, whether a whale could really swallow a person, why whales don't belong in captivity, and a whale-human connection that reaches back at least ten thousand years. RESOURCE LINKS: - Get the book: https://JamesMichaelDorseyAuthor.com/books/the-lagoon-encounters-with-the-whales-of-san-ignacio-james-michael-dorsey/9781635768428 - Travel with James: https://www.BajaEcoTours.com/ - Enjoy more episodes of Before They Vanish: https://www.BigBlendMediaHouse.com/p/before-they-vanish-podcast - Learn more about James: https://JamesMichaelDorseyAuthor.com/