One of the great pleasures of being in Southern Baja in March is the whale population like to winter there as well. They have never disappointed in the years we’ve been going to Cabo San Lucas. This year Steve suggested we do an actual whale watch and try to get up close and personal with the leviathans. Our options consisted of larger, slower boats with a party atmosphere or zippy 12-person zodiacs (like the Navy Seals use) that are all business. I like zippy! And bouncy! So we signed on with Cabo Expeditions for an early morning excursion.
The ditz sitting next to me that kept calling, “Here, whaley, whaley, whaley!” I wanted to toss her off the boat.
Captain Jose has been at this for a while. He does the typical tour guide routine of getting his passengers to El Arco at Land’s End to see the arch, the sea lion colony, Lover’s Beach and the window to the Pacific before heading out to look for whales. In the off chance that the whales aren’t cooperative (it’s a 50-50 chance we’ll see some) at least the passengers get some postcard pics from the trip. We always take new visitors out to the arch in a glass bottom panga because these landmarks really are stunning, but I have a gazillion pictures of the arch and the sea lions so I wasn’t planning on taking more. But unbeknownst to me there was a new baby sea lion, and who can resist a baby anything?
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Obviously the tour companies in Cabo are all making money from whale watching, so there is a cooperative atmosphere between all of the boats, and the radio chatter makes me want to understand Spanish. I could tell when there were sightings from the inflections alone, not to mention that Jose nearly bounced me out of the boat a couple of times making quick turns at high speed attempting to get to a sighting. The whales were cooperative that day, especially the new babies. They did lots of jumping and splashing, and received oohs and aahs from everyone aboard. Especially the ditz sitting next to me that kept calling, “Here, whaley, whaley, whaley!”
She also said she was going, “To La something to swim with the tiger sharks tomorrow!”
I asked, “Do you mean you’re going to La Paz to swim with the whale sharks?”
“Yeah,” she repled, “That’s it!”
I wanted to toss her off the boat.
Tiger sharks (on the left below) can grow to 13 feet and be nasty if they smell blood. Whale sharks (on the right below) are docile and grow to 40 feet.
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Maybe her boyfriend wanted to get rid of her and actually WAS going to let her get in the water with tiger sharks. I couldn’t much blame him.
So enjoy the video below and if you ever go on a whale watch try to abstain from calling the whales like they were your cat or dog. Some crazy redhead might launch you from the boat.
Cabo San Lucas Whale Watching 2016
I’m jealous ! Was keeping tabs on the arrival of the whales on the Cape off Provincetown and environs–but no practical way to get there. Will plan for that next year—now that I know. Don’t think I’d launch and go out to sea, though, as you can enjoy the scene from the beach, as they are that close–and would expect ye old Cape Cod-ers who gather there to know what’s what about all things oceanic, unlike the ditzy woman–or not. . . .
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Janice
My wife, the “Whale Whisperer,” is a Pepin. Being a Pepin, she has an inherited gene that makes her attuned to wildlife. On this trip, she was the first to spot a whale. And she was able to follow the pod’s track underwater and keep the camera in the exact location where they would surface. Like all Pepins, she is one with nature. Simply amazing.
Thank you, my love!
D. xx