Dig This! - A Grey Whale Skull

October-November 1998

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Steve Booth

During our last winter season in Baja, while on a "Treasures of the Pacific" trip, an amazing discovery was made.

Gray whale skull unearthed by paddlers in Baja

We had spent two days on the water paddling the beautiful estuaries on our way to the calving lagoons of the Gray whales. For thousands of years these great creatures have returned to the calm waters along this coast to mate and give birth to their young. Rejuvenated at the prospect of finding a new mate or giving birth in the warm protected shallows, these animals arrive after a 6000-mile journey.

It was a particularly hot day on the water and we had decided to take an overland detour to the coastal side of the barrier island and play in the Pacific surf. We pulled the kayaks into a cut in the mangrove, tied them off, packed up a lunch and began the short walk over the sand dunes, guided by the sound of breaking waves. On our arrival, a few of us decided to walk a length of the beach in search of shells while the others tried their hands at body surfing.

Some very interesting things wash ashore here along this stretch. We have found everything from giant glass floats, palm trees from the tropics and shipwrecks, to the carcasses of sealions, dolphins and sharks. But no one was prepared for this find. It was reported to the guide that someone had found a few whale vertebrae and there appeared to be something else almost completely buried in the sand. As a group we walked back to the site to snoop around. Once there, a dinner plate sized piece of bone showing through the sand was immediately recognized as the top of a Gray whale cranium.

The dig began at once! - Racing against an incoming tide, the group frantically dug out the sides around the. skull and it quickly became apparent that the entire skull, rinsed smooth and glistening white, lay beneath. By this time every handful of sand we removed was quickly replaced by a wash of sea water. Our excavation was called to a halt. We carefully recorded the location with a range marker and paced off the distance.

One week later we returned with another group, having timed the departure overland to correspond with a falling tide. Armed with kayak paddles as shovels, a team building attitude and plenty of drinking water, we set off for the great dig! The dig took 12 people rotating 3-6 at a time (while the others cooled off with a swim), about three hours. In this time we were able to get to the bottom of the skull: Sweat pouring off our brows, we sized up the 1,000 lb. skull that lay in the bottom of a 6 ft deep hole! Hhhhhm? Gathering up some timbers, probably from an old shipwreck, we were able to lever the thing out of the hole and onto the beach.

With the tide now on its way back in, all that was left was to place the massive skull high on the beach and above the storm line. Once again the race was on! We tried pulling, pushing, dragging, lifting. We even tried hitching-up like a team of oxen. Each time the skull either ploughed into the sand like an anchor or placed so much strain on the lifters that we began sinking into the sand. The solution - a rolling approach! Six on a side at a time, we managed after a half hour or so, to work the skull above the storm line. There it lies to this day, for generations of Ecosummer kayakers to see. After partially concealing it behind a dune we took a GPS reading of its position for all time. Finally, sweaty with effort, we stood back and admired our accomplishment, lining up for photographs next to the prize, each one of us with a much greater appreciation of the presence and story of these magnificent animals.

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