Shari Bondy has been studying whales for more than thirty years. At eighteen-years-old, she moved to Vancouver Island, British Colombia, from Ontario, Canada. She wanted to get close to whales and Tofino, was the place to be with a population of Grey Whales, Humpbacks, and Killer Whales to study. Following the whale migration South, Bondy found herself in Laguna Ojo de Liebre in Baja. Instantly, she fell in love with the place and moved there to begin a new chapter in her research.

In my opinion, Bondy is the Jane Goodall of the whale world. Like Goodall, she’s mostly self-trained and has spent decades in the field, watching generations of whales birth and raise their calves. She’s photographically identified scores of individual whales and learned their personality, character, and behaviors. To continue her research, she began Whale Magic Tours and has been instrumental in developing whale-watching in the region. From January through March, you’ll find her in her new private whale camp (glamp) in Guerrero Negro. You’ll find her in her home and boutique hotel La Bufadora Inn the rest of the year in Bahía Asunción.

In this conversation, Bondy gets personal about how whales changed (and possibly saved) her life. She’s quick to acknowledge her spiritual connection to these majestic mammals. Her approach and her whale watching excursions are a deep-dive into the intimacies of whale behavior. And over the decades -she’s witnessed a phenomenal change in that behavior. Her approach has built a trust level with whales that often have mothers pushing their calves right up to touch the boats. If you are lucky, a whale may come close enough for a kiss! In addition to whale-watching, the region has excellent fishing, surfing, and kayaking year-round. Shari is happy to help book tours and activities, including diving, beachcombing, mountain biking, fossil hunting, and horseback excursions to see cave paintings with local rancheros.

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