One World One Ocean posts a gray whale encounter in Laguna San Ignacio, on the Pacific coast of Mexico's Baja peninsula, where the mammals migrate:
The gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon frequently approach small tourist boats, seeking the human interaction. While they could easily avoid the people, whose small boats are not allowed to closely approach whales, they actually seem to enjoy making contact.
They also note:
Whale watching here is highly regulated, with limits on how many boats can be on the water, how long they can stay, and how close they can get; rather than closely approaching the whales, they must idle their engine and wait for the whales to approach the vessel, which is a common occurrence.
Check out this amazing video of a mother holding up her calf, AFTER THE JUMP...