. ♪ >> reporter: there's a peacefulness, a calm in baja, meax.t is until a creature the size of a school bus pops out of the water to say hi. >> wow, that's amazing. look at his eye. he sprayed me in the face. >> reporter: it doesn't take us long to figure out why locals call them the friendly whales. it's a role reversal. this is not a place where tourists come to chase the wildlife. it chases us. they're like puppies. the young calves in particular seem to love the cameras. >> hello, you're not shy. we were talking about you. are your ears burning? yes, your ears are burning. then there's that, the little token of friendship they like to leave behind again, and again. so much for the shower this morning. a small price to pay for these breath-takingly close encounters. >> nobody bo bothers them. it's regulated. their curious nature comes out. >> while their home may be protected, environmentalists are concerned about a looming threat in their other home. each year, these whales migrate from the lagoons of baja, to their feeding grounds in the ar