Whale Watching in Los Cabos
Each winter, California gray whales make the astonishing 8,000 mile trek from the Bering Sea in Alaska to the warm lagoons of Baja California Sur. From late January through March, these gentle giants occupy the coves and inlets of the region. Also migrating to the Sea of Cortez during this time of year are majestic humpack whales, also coming to the sheltered waters to mate and give birth. The whales journey south to Los Cabos and into the Sea of Cortez, where they will birth their calves and feast on the abundant food sources of the nutrient-rich Sea of Cortez.
To best observe these beautiful marine mammals, we suggest one of the whale-watching tours that depart daily from the Cabo San Lucas Marina.
"Thar She Blows"
Your first indication of a whale's presence may be its spout or "blow" rising into the air above the water. The spout may be visible for miles on calm days, and a loud "whoosh" of exhalation may be heard up to 1/2 mile away. The spout consists mostly of condensation created as the whale's warm humid breath cools in the sea air, along with sea water blown into the air as the whale begins its exhalation just below the surface. Look for 3-5 blows as a rule, 30-50 seconds apart before the whale dives again. As a rule of thumb, a gray whale will blow once for each minute it has spent on its dive. Use your stopwatch to time these blows and predict when the whale is due to blow again.