An aerial view of gray whales swimming near a whale watching boat. — GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP
A giant barnacle-encrusted gray whale nuzzles her calf next to a small boat of excited tourists in the waters off the Baja California peninsula in northwestern Mexico.
The annual arrival of the migratory mammals, coinciding with a drop in coronavirus infections, has provided a much needed boost to the region’s battered tourism industry.
For visitors, close encounters with one of the largest animals on the planet are a welcome respite from a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 people in Mexico – the world’s third highest toll.