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Whale Watching in Los CabosFrom late January through March the California Gray Whales make the 8,000 mile trek from the Bering Sea of Alaska to the warm waters of southern Baja, California. Here these gentle giants occupy the coves and inlets of Baja to breed and rear their young. This is one of the few places where you can view these giant, majestic mammals. You might even get a glimpse of them playing with their calves in the protected lagoons of Baja. Although you won't see as many whales close to shore here as you would farther north (in Pacific gray whale calving bay of Bahia Magdalena), newborn calves and their mothers do swim by on their 'trial run' to the Sea of Cortez. These whales can be seen within a few hundred meters of Cabo San Lucas throughout the year, but the most activity occurs during this gray whale migration season, which is from January through March. Your first indication of the gray whale will probably be its spout or “blow”—up to 15 ft (4.5 m) high, bushy, and occasionally heart-shaped when seen from the front or rear. It will be visible for miles on calm days, and an explosive “whoosh” of exhalation may be heard up to ½ mile away. The spout consists mostly of condensation created as the whale’s warm humid breath expands and 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 in its dive.) Use your stopwatch to time these blows and predict when the whale is due to blow again. On occasion, these whale calves will actually approach a panga boat to be pet. There are day trips offered from Cabo San Lucas to view these extraordinary animals! To best observe these beautiful marine mammals we suggest a whale watching tour, which departs daily from the harbor. The price is $39-$50/person. For more detailed information please call
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