Whale Adventures with Nigel Marven

The newborn gray whale calves spend their first months of life in the safety of Baja's San Ignacio Lagoon. Nigel is spellbound by the 'friendly whales', mothers and calves that literally beg for his attention. As the whales start their journey north towards the border with the U.S., he takes a parallel road trip through the cacti-studded desert.

The whales' journey takes them right up the coast of California, where the hustle and bustle of human activity is a stark contrast to the peace of the Mexican desert. Nigel takes a boat into the Santa Barbara channel to catch up with the grays as they swim past, and meets some even bigger whales, humpbacks, putting on an awe-inspiring acrobatic display.

As the whales continue into the cold seas of the Pacific Northwest, Nigel enjoys the celebrations of the Quileute Tribe as they hold their annual 'Welcome the Whales' ceremony. With scientists in the old-growth coastal forests of Oregon, he meets an amazing owl and a nippy tree vole before visiting the beaches of Whidbey Island to dig up information on gray whale feeding habits.

The whales are now on the home straight, and Nigel travels to the far west of Alaska to try to see them as they pass. On the Pribilof Islands he meets comical puffins, beautiful cormorants, and cute arctic foxes, but the whales prove elusive. Hopefully, his luck will change when he tries further north, as the native Yupik people take him on a midnight boat ride through the icy seas.