Whale watching do’s and don’ts

When vacationing successful Mexico, visitors often hunt for caller experiences, nary little truthful erstwhile visiting coastal regions. Although lying connected a formation soaking up the prima and drinking margaritas tin entreaty to some, boredom tin rapidly acceptable successful if you’re not engaging successful activities. Whale watching, scuba diving, and sportfishing are astir fashionable erstwhile it comes to h2o adventure. 

On the Pacific coast, December done the extremity of March are the premier months for catching show of 1 of the largest mammals successful the world, which travel to the region’s lagoons to commencement their calves. If you’re precise lucky, you whitethorn adjacent witnesser a unrecorded commencement connected an excursion. 

Mexico’s astir magnificent mammals are large concern successful the tourism sector, but retrieve to publication a sojourn done a liable circuit operator. (Explora Vallarta)

On the seashore of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, wherever I live, the astir commonly sighted whale is the humpback whale. Eager to acquisition the adventure, I searched for a reputable institution to usher me. 

There are galore options for whale-watching tours successful and astir this coastal town, including those successful Barra De Potosi, 30 minutes away. A full of 60 certified whale operators successful the country beryllium to an enactment called Whales Of Guerrero. These operators are highly trained and knowledgeable successful the whale-watching circuit industry. Unfortunately, galore autarkic tours often deficiency the close permits oregon grooming to articulation this important organization. They are usually referred to arsenic “pirates” by those who are. I impulse everyone to bash their homework erstwhile choosing a whale-watching tour; if successful doubt, cheque retired the Whales of Guerrero website to get a database of certified guides that comply with the strict laws of behaviour required erstwhile whale-watching.

Armed with this knowledge, I yet selected a circuit with The Zihuatanejo Dive Center, located crossed from the pier successful downtown Zihuatanejo. The centre is owned and operated by Luis Manuel Pelayo, affectionately known arsenic Poto, a Mexican, and his woman Julieta Trzaska, primitively from Poland. The mates has been hosting whale tours connected their dive boat, The Red Beanie, for 7 years and has garnered an fantabulous estimation for safety, comfortableness and all-out fun. They are besides a portion of Whales Of Guerrero. You tin take greeting oregon day tours for 1,200 pesos, astir US $58, with an hr oregon 2 of snorkelling. I opted for the greeting tour, and astatine 9 am, we acceptable retired from the pier connected Playa Municipal successful downtown Zihuatanejo.

Along for the thrust was unpaid Jennifer Wilson-Salazar, proprietor of Kaleidoscope Tours and Canadian autochthonal who joined a section 3 years agone successful what I tin lone picture arsenic romanticist fate. Salazar and Poto imparted tidbits of absorbing whale facts arsenic we glided smoothly crossed the ocean, which I recovered fascinating, fixed that I knew adjacent to thing astir these magnificent creatures.

Zihuatanejo has its ain pods of gentle giants. (Elisa Ashe)

For instance, I learned that pistillate whales mate with respective whales simultaneously, 1 close aft the other, but the past whale impregnates her. Interestingly, that whale is often the smallest. I besides learned that whales measurement 5 tons astatine commencement and tin turn up to 40 tons and unrecorded from 80 to 90 years. Humpback whales question large distances from Alaska and Canada to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo to commencement their young. However, they tin task arsenic acold southbound arsenic Oaxaca. “They bash this for 2 reasons. We person warmer waters, which they love,” Wilson-Salazar told me, “and two, due to the fact that their main enemy, the slayer whale, does not travel them to this region, preferring colder waters.”

The waters were highly calm connected the greeting we acceptable out, which Poto told america was perfect for whale watching. As we smoothly crossed the ocean, we glimpsed luxurious villas and homes perched connected rocky hillsides to the close and near of us. We passed notable beaches La Ropa and Madera, good known for their fantabulous swimming and extended prime of restaurants, and Las Gatas, a seafood person delight and fashionable reefs that boasts fantabulous snorkelling disconnected its shores.

Our guides informed america we would beryllium going towards Barra De Potosi, the tiny colony southbound of us, which helium said was the country wherever we would much apt drawback show of whales, though uncommon sightings tin besides hap wrong Zihua Bay itself. In summation to Zihuatanejo, this country is besides known for tours operated by different members of Whales of Guerero, who are highly trained and certified successful the do’s and don’ts of whale watching.

Poto explained immoderate of the circumstantial rules they indispensable adhere to erstwhile they spell whale watching,  including keeping a harmless region from the whales. Other regulations are that a maximum of 4 boats tin beryllium contiguous erstwhile a whale is spotted successful the vicinity portion others stay successful a queue a respectful region away. Then, aft 20 minutes, the boats indispensable depart to let others to instrumentality their turn. “We cannot situation them, and we ever attack from the back, not the front. Our boats person to beryllium successful neutral gear, and we cannot speed. Most importantly, we indispensable not abstracted the parent from their offspring. Lastly, we cannot snorkel with the whales, arsenic is permitted successful bluish parts of Mexico.” 

Captain Chava astatine the wheel. (Elisa Ashe)

Finally, the eagle eyes of our vessel captain, Chava, spotted boats successful the region and a chiseled spray successful the air, and we headed successful that direction. When we were successful place, a harmless region from the different circuit boats, Chava idled the motor portion Poto lowered a waterproof microphone into the water. Immediately, the aerial filled with hauntingly beauteous whale songs. Enthralled, we watched the backs of a parent whale and her offspring look respective times earlier diving retired of sight. Unfortunately, Poto said they mightiness enactment submerged for 10 to 40 minutes. 

After 20 minutes, we reclaimed the microphone and acceptable disconnected again. We did this respective times implicit an hour, catching glimpses but ne'er seeing whales breaching arsenic we had hoped for. No shadiness to the operators, of course, arsenic sometimes this tin happen, truthful you indispensable beryllium prepared for it oregon take to spell retired different time. I inactive recovered it thrilling to beryllium successful specified adjacent vicinity to the whales, listening to their songs from supra their watery depths.

Afterwards, arsenic portion of the tour, we headed to Manzanillo Reef, astir the crook from the bay of Zihuatanejo, for an hr of snorkelling. It was a delightful extremity to a beauteous morning, swimming successful pristine wide waters among galore taxon of tropical food and marine beingness earlier heading home, bushed but content. 

The writer divides her clip betwixt Canada and Zihuatanejo.