My wife & I are thinking about spending Thanksgiving in Baja and whale-watching would be a priority. I read somewhere that Jan. to April is the
calving season in Bahia Magdalena. That raises 2 questions...
1. How successful (or not) is the whale-watching in late November?
2. How does whale-watching on the Pacific coast compare to the Sea of Cortez? Where are the best places to do it?
Gracias in advance!BigBearRider - 10-27-2016 at 08:09 AM
Hola,
Thanksgiving is too early for Bahia Magdalena, or the Pacific Coast, from what I understand.
1. Based on conversations with San Ignacio lagoon operators, I believe you will not be successful in November. They recommended January to April to
me.
2. The Pacific lagoons are considered to be the place to go. But, I saw a whale outside Punta Chivato the first week of October. For whatever it's
worth.
Good luck!mikeymarlin - 10-27-2016 at 08:25 AM
real simple----- contact SHERI on this board----"she is miss whale expert"Howard - 10-27-2016 at 08:25 AM
If you are talking about the friendly Grey migration, you are unfortunately way to early. The full swing in the lagoons are in February with the
early ones arriving in December, at the earliest.
The 3 Pacific lagoons are the best places for the friendlies but the Sea of Cortez holds other whale species and in my opinion gives you around a 25%
chance of spotting a whale if you go out looking. Not the petting kind, just the look at them at a distance kind.
5ggpotts - 10-27-2016 at 08:39 AM
Excellent info from all 3 replies so far...and I'll chase down SHERI for more. Thanks!shari - 10-27-2016 at 09:16 AM
morning all....your best bet for whales is on the Gulf side where there are a plethora of species like humpback, sperm, blue, maybe fin and dolphins
etc. Maybe some of the east coasters can check in...I know there were whales by Bahia de Los Angeles, San Lucas Cove, Loreto and La Paz. When you get
to those places ask some of the fishermen or tourist boats and they will let you know if there are whales to see in the area.
Gray whales dont show up till December usually on the mid Pacside. You may see some humpbacks feeding on langostina in some areas but nothing
reliable.motoged - 10-27-2016 at 09:46 AM
My wife & I are thinking about spending Thanksgiving in Baja and whale-watching would be a priority.....
GG,
It seems that Shari's guidance on the Pacific side is most likely to give you an excellent whale experience (up close and personal, for sure)....but
as she said, Jan-March is the best time. Stay in touch with her as she guides whale tours from Guererro Negro lagoons area during those months if you
are down during that time period....whale sightings on Cortez side seem to be far less frequent.roldanojr - 10-27-2016 at 10:27 AM
gg pots
Hey we went to Bahia Luis Gonzaga last month, and encounter about 7 whale sharks, one big Mama with 2 babys. Attached you will find a sign, it says
whale sharks are in the bay from May to November, but is not 100 percent sure, we spent almost 2 hours in order to find them. I recommend Jesus at
punta final he is a good guy and we paid 2500 pesos, (300.00 Dls) for the trip.
I hope this info help you guys. Have a safe trip and enjoy it!
David K - 10-27-2016 at 10:31 AM
There are other kinds of whales off Baja than the grays. Pilot and Blue whales are sighted often... Of course, the gentle whale sharks are fish, but
the biggest fish in the world and an attraction in the upper Sea of Cortez.ggpotts - 10-27-2016 at 11:33 AM
More excellent info. Gracias a todo el mundo!
I'm pinned down at work right now, more questions to follow...
