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The Lagoon: Encounters with the Whales of San Ignacio
A voyage to a magical marine haven, the San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja, Mexico, where the connection between man and beast is like no other on Earth.
Once a killing ground for whalers hunting a leviathan they called the “devilfish,” the San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja, Mexico, is now an environmental and spiritual sanctuary―the only place in the world where animals in their natural aquatic environment routinely seek out human contact. A nursery for the gray whale since before recorded history, the lagoon and its stories, told here by resident naturalist James Michael Dorsey, illuminate the magic of human connection to animals, and what those bonds teach us about ourselves and our purpose on this shared planet.
Weaving two decades of San Ignacio adventures in the company of his wife Irene with the fascinating history of the lagoon, Dorsey vividly captures the lively people of Baja, like the mystical godfather of whale-watching, Pachico Mayoral, as well as the whales he’s bonded with over the years, like Slackjaw, Patch, and Dervish― their individual personalities, their epic migration to and from the Pacific Northwest, and the science behind their behavior. Looming over his journeys are the many dangers to the area, from the Mitsubishi Corporation’s attempts to build salt works to plans for resort development on the Baja coast, to pollution and climate change, and even to the orcas who hunt the gray whales. The future of this refuge has never looked more threatened.
A tale of wondrous bonds between the intelligent, spirited gray whales and the men, women, and children from around the world who come to this place to touch, kiss, and play with them― The Lagoon is a testament to the importance of preserving these animals and their natural habitats.
Once a killing ground for whalers hunting a leviathan they called the “devilfish,” the San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja, Mexico, is now an environmental and spiritual sanctuary―the only place in the world where animals in their natural aquatic environment routinely seek out human contact. A nursery for the gray whale since before recorded history, the lagoon and its stories, told here by resident naturalist James Michael Dorsey, illuminate the magic of human connection to animals, and what those bonds teach us about ourselves and our purpose on this shared planet.
Weaving two decades of San Ignacio adventures in the company of his wife Irene with the fascinating history of the lagoon, Dorsey vividly captures the lively people of Baja, like the mystical godfather of whale-watching, Pachico Mayoral, as well as the whales he’s bonded with over the years, like Slackjaw, Patch, and Dervish― their individual personalities, their epic migration to and from the Pacific Northwest, and the science behind their behavior. Looming over his journeys are the many dangers to the area, from the Mitsubishi Corporation’s attempts to build salt works to plans for resort development on the Baja coast, to pollution and climate change, and even to the orcas who hunt the gray whales. The future of this refuge has never looked more threatened.
A tale of wondrous bonds between the intelligent, spirited gray whales and the men, women, and children from around the world who come to this place to touch, kiss, and play with them― The Lagoon is a testament to the importance of preserving these animals and their natural habitats.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published May 23, 2023
11 people are currently reading
783 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 30, 2023
San Ignacio lagoon is one of three coves on the Baja peninsula -- along with the better-known Ojo de Liebre (Scammon's Lagoon) and Magdalena Bay -- that serve as calving sanctuaries for the regal and very large gray whale, a creature almost hunted to extinction in the last century. Indeed, the author tells us that the killing grounds were these very coves, back in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Also, he tells us, that since the gray whales have to migrate annually to Alaskan waters to feed, and are not echolocation-capable like other whale species, must navigate coastlines and were easier for whalers to find. It's interesting to learn that World War II, interrupting the whaling trade, may have saved the last gray whales and scientists noted a population uptick in the following years.
That's the background story. The author has a sensitive, often-moving, account of the gray whales of San Ignacio, who now seek out close contact with humans, presenting themselves -- and their new calves -- to feel humans touch them, to be eye-to-eye with them. It's an incredibly moving experience for the humans, and the whales seem intelligent, empathic, and maybe communicating at some emotional level.
A local tour company there that guides the human visitors, that provides a camp ashore and panga launches to approach the whales, respectfully and carefully. It's not a spoiler to say that the author worked at the camp, as a guide for some 20 years, continues to visit the camp. He also describes the society of pangeros, the people who staff the camp and curate the bay, local people among whom are a number of vivid characters. As a profile of central Baja society it's excellent social history.
The author expands on that to describe the ecology of San Ignacio bay and its marine life and weather. He also tells of the land ecology of the surrounding desert and its animal life in particular. It's a wonderful look at that area. (Having lived on a sailboat some years ago, and sailed the Baja Pacific coast and the Sea of Cortez for more than a year, I can testify that everything the author says about Baja and the geography rings true).
It's not a spoiler also to say his final chapters widen to discuss the current situation with marine mammals, cetaceans generally, and the organizations that have taken a scientific or humane interest in them. He talks about their work reining in the remaining whaling industry and in curtailing marine theme parks' capture and abuse of marine mammals. He talks about threats to whales generally, the pervasive and harmful extent of plastic trash, the ship collisions, human noise levels underwater generally (engines, sonar, seismic echoranging) and the trauma it causes on these creatures' sensitive hearing. And of course he does show the impact of climate change on the gray whales and the lagoon in particular, as well as intrusions by orcas and by mining companies wanting to convert the lagoon to salt pans.
In all, it's a lot of new and revelatory information, a comprehensive wide-angle and close-focus depiction, and an emotional experience for the reader, by turns deeply moving and highly infuriating -- profound, really -- and all this in just under 200 smoothly-written pages. Highest recommendation.
(Read in print copy provided by the Amazon Vine program).
That's the background story. The author has a sensitive, often-moving, account of the gray whales of San Ignacio, who now seek out close contact with humans, presenting themselves -- and their new calves -- to feel humans touch them, to be eye-to-eye with them. It's an incredibly moving experience for the humans, and the whales seem intelligent, empathic, and maybe communicating at some emotional level.
A local tour company there that guides the human visitors, that provides a camp ashore and panga launches to approach the whales, respectfully and carefully. It's not a spoiler to say that the author worked at the camp, as a guide for some 20 years, continues to visit the camp. He also describes the society of pangeros, the people who staff the camp and curate the bay, local people among whom are a number of vivid characters. As a profile of central Baja society it's excellent social history.
The author expands on that to describe the ecology of San Ignacio bay and its marine life and weather. He also tells of the land ecology of the surrounding desert and its animal life in particular. It's a wonderful look at that area. (Having lived on a sailboat some years ago, and sailed the Baja Pacific coast and the Sea of Cortez for more than a year, I can testify that everything the author says about Baja and the geography rings true).
It's not a spoiler also to say his final chapters widen to discuss the current situation with marine mammals, cetaceans generally, and the organizations that have taken a scientific or humane interest in them. He talks about their work reining in the remaining whaling industry and in curtailing marine theme parks' capture and abuse of marine mammals. He talks about threats to whales generally, the pervasive and harmful extent of plastic trash, the ship collisions, human noise levels underwater generally (engines, sonar, seismic echoranging) and the trauma it causes on these creatures' sensitive hearing. And of course he does show the impact of climate change on the gray whales and the lagoon in particular, as well as intrusions by orcas and by mining companies wanting to convert the lagoon to salt pans.
In all, it's a lot of new and revelatory information, a comprehensive wide-angle and close-focus depiction, and an emotional experience for the reader, by turns deeply moving and highly infuriating -- profound, really -- and all this in just under 200 smoothly-written pages. Highest recommendation.
(Read in print copy provided by the Amazon Vine program).
November 13, 2024
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.
I absolutely loved this read! I’m not a huge sciencey/naturey person, but this book really spoke to me! I have always been in awe of whales, simply for their size and grace. This book allowed me to learn more about the lives, habits, behaviors, and stories of the whales. This book left me wanting to hop on a boat and go study whales (ethically and without causing harm to the ecosystem of course) in the wild! There were multiple stories in this book that touched my heart and left me with goosebumps!
I absolutely loved this read! I’m not a huge sciencey/naturey person, but this book really spoke to me! I have always been in awe of whales, simply for their size and grace. This book allowed me to learn more about the lives, habits, behaviors, and stories of the whales. This book left me wanting to hop on a boat and go study whales (ethically and without causing harm to the ecosystem of course) in the wild! There were multiple stories in this book that touched my heart and left me with goosebumps!
December 12, 2023
I selected “The Lagoon” for a nature/science break from my usual history or biography. I got that and much more. It is nature study, travelogue, and cry for conservation.
San Ignacio is a bay in the Pacific Ocean off Baja California where gray whales congregate to winter and bear their young. Author James Michael Dorsey has woven several tales together. He provides a history of the whaling industry, which varied in its prey and over time. The difficult route to San Ignacio is a tale in itself. The people who reside and frequent there, local Mexicans and visiting researchers, and Campo Cortez, where some lodge, blends people into their environment. He ends with threats to whales from industry, tourism and use of the oceans, both pollution (think plastics) and disorienting noise. The text is richly supplemented by up-close photos of whales and characters referenced.
My favorite part of this short book is the accounts of the gray whales, biological, behavioral and their contacts with humans Their size amazes and belies their vulnerability, their desire to be petted displays a personality. Their life facts, of slow speeds while migrating from Alaskan waters to Baja and nursing without feeding, being attacked by orcas and suffering, but not noticing, bites from small sharks are just a few of what I learned from these pages.
This short read is a good choice for readers seeking an introduction to gray whales and the humans who interact with them.
San Ignacio is a bay in the Pacific Ocean off Baja California where gray whales congregate to winter and bear their young. Author James Michael Dorsey has woven several tales together. He provides a history of the whaling industry, which varied in its prey and over time. The difficult route to San Ignacio is a tale in itself. The people who reside and frequent there, local Mexicans and visiting researchers, and Campo Cortez, where some lodge, blends people into their environment. He ends with threats to whales from industry, tourism and use of the oceans, both pollution (think plastics) and disorienting noise. The text is richly supplemented by up-close photos of whales and characters referenced.
My favorite part of this short book is the accounts of the gray whales, biological, behavioral and their contacts with humans Their size amazes and belies their vulnerability, their desire to be petted displays a personality. Their life facts, of slow speeds while migrating from Alaskan waters to Baja and nursing without feeding, being attacked by orcas and suffering, but not noticing, bites from small sharks are just a few of what I learned from these pages.
This short read is a good choice for readers seeking an introduction to gray whales and the humans who interact with them.
June 15, 2023
If you're interested in whales at all, it's a must-read.
The story is both heartbreaking and heartfelt filled with beautifully touching stories of the loss, recovery, and continued resilience of gray whales as well as the people in Baja, Mexico protecting them.
Some of my personal favorite parts are the dedication to exploring the native and indigenous groups around these whales throughout time and how those relationships changed in regards to whaling. Additionally, this book serves as a hardy ecological approach to the environment surrounding these whales (in addition to focusing on other animals as well) and the experience of the adventure to see these whales in Baja.
I was with the author through every moment of reading, and you can tell the enthusiasm and love he gives with every chapter.
Overall, this book has personally broadened my view of gray whales as usually I'm accustomed to them just passing by Monterey not interacting much unlike humpbacks or killer whales, I feel much deeper love and care for gray whales now.
This book holds a really deep place in my heart, and I can't recommend it enough.
The story is both heartbreaking and heartfelt filled with beautifully touching stories of the loss, recovery, and continued resilience of gray whales as well as the people in Baja, Mexico protecting them.
Some of my personal favorite parts are the dedication to exploring the native and indigenous groups around these whales throughout time and how those relationships changed in regards to whaling. Additionally, this book serves as a hardy ecological approach to the environment surrounding these whales (in addition to focusing on other animals as well) and the experience of the adventure to see these whales in Baja.
I was with the author through every moment of reading, and you can tell the enthusiasm and love he gives with every chapter.
Overall, this book has personally broadened my view of gray whales as usually I'm accustomed to them just passing by Monterey not interacting much unlike humpbacks or killer whales, I feel much deeper love and care for gray whales now.
This book holds a really deep place in my heart, and I can't recommend it enough.
Read
February 11, 2025This book is very recent and by a very experienced naturalist. He gives a good background on grey whale history and life cycle and he includes personal stories that bring his book to life, along with the grey whales and people who have been working to help them. Of course, there are also gruesome details of the grey whale being hunted and killed during whaling days. This book has the most disturbing descriptions of this I’ve read yet. And, hints that grey whales may still be being illegally killed for food. The content of the book is first rate. The writing could benefit from slight improvements in phrasing. Some of the sentences, while grammatically correct, made me slow down to puzzle out the subject and object. This keeps the book from flowing seamlessly, but that’s just a quibble.
June 29, 2023
Once a killing ground for whalers hunting a leviathan they called the “devilfish,” the San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja, Mexico, is now an environmental and spiritual sanctuary—the only place in the world where animals in their natural aquatic environment routinely seek out human contact. This is the story of generations of people who change their minds about a species and therefore change the way the whale is seen, treated, and maybe saved. This was an interesting story and a wonderful story of how things can change for an animal when humans change their minds.
June 22, 2023
I got an ARC.
Oh boy. This was so over written it was wild. At one point in the first chapter Dosey explains all the things he didn't pay attention to because he was so overwhelmed by meeting a whale. Yet, why did he describe them if he didn't pay attention to them and they have zero to do with whales?
Also, surprisingly, yet another instance of whitewashing of genocide appeared. I didn't expect it in a book about whales, but sometimes surprises aren't good.
Oh boy. This was so over written it was wild. At one point in the first chapter Dosey explains all the things he didn't pay attention to because he was so overwhelmed by meeting a whale. Yet, why did he describe them if he didn't pay attention to them and they have zero to do with whales?
Also, surprisingly, yet another instance of whitewashing of genocide appeared. I didn't expect it in a book about whales, but sometimes surprises aren't good.
September 24, 2023
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
The book is packed with information on whales and humans history with them, how we have hurt them and how we can rescue them. I will say, there were a lot of details about the lagoon or rather the path to get there that I was not sure how to visualize. But besides that it was a wholesome read and has only inspired me to want to visit and protect these large forgiving creatures.
The book is packed with information on whales and humans history with them, how we have hurt them and how we can rescue them. I will say, there were a lot of details about the lagoon or rather the path to get there that I was not sure how to visualize. But besides that it was a wholesome read and has only inspired me to want to visit and protect these large forgiving creatures.
June 4, 2023
Thanks for the ARC!
You can feel the love the author has for these amazing creatures. It's beautifully written and I love the added history he added to it. There were some parts I glossed over (like the journey to get to the lagoon) but over all I really enjoyed it.
The love for the ocean and the life in it is evident in this book and is written with so much love and respect.
You can feel the love the author has for these amazing creatures. It's beautifully written and I love the added history he added to it. There were some parts I glossed over (like the journey to get to the lagoon) but over all I really enjoyed it.
The love for the ocean and the life in it is evident in this book and is written with so much love and respect.
August 10, 2023
Wonderful read about grey whales and the habitat in Baja
August 31, 2023
Seeing gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon is at the top of my bucket list. It was before reading this novel, which moved me to tears, and it especially is now.
September 19, 2023
such a great book!
I love whales and this book really drew me in! It’s on my bucket list to visit these gentle giants in the next few years.
I love whales and this book really drew me in! It’s on my bucket list to visit these gentle giants in the next few years.
May 17, 2023
What a fabulous read! I enjoyed getting more into the life of whales.
James Michael Dorsey takes you on a journey unlike any other. From the whales that they know on a name basis (read the story, it's great), and newer whales that are appearing as well - it was a magical adventure that draws you in. Loved this one!
Highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys marine life, and wants to get some deeper insight into the lives of the whales in San Ignacio.
James Michael Dorsey takes you on a journey unlike any other. From the whales that they know on a name basis (read the story, it's great), and newer whales that are appearing as well - it was a magical adventure that draws you in. Loved this one!
Highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys marine life, and wants to get some deeper insight into the lives of the whales in San Ignacio.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews