BajaNomad

Whale sharks in December? Other marine wildlife?

KristinS - 10-3-2021 at 10:34 AM

Hey lovely people. Curious - is it realistic to see whale sharks in Baja mid/late December? Where is the best place to try? It sounds like we might be at the end of whale shark season and very beginning of grey whales, which is (possibly!) a bummer! I know there is plenty of other marine wildlife in Baja though - I’d love to know your top places. And better to kayak or take a boat trip, etc. Thank you so much!

defrag4 - 10-3-2021 at 09:23 PM

Quote: Originally posted by KristinS  
Hey lovely people. Curious - is it realistic to see whale sharks in Baja mid/late December? Where is the best place to try? It sounds like we might be at the end of whale shark season and very beginning of grey whales, which is (possibly!) a bummer! I know there is plenty of other marine wildlife in Baja though - I’d love to know your top places. And better to kayak or take a boat trip, etc. Thank you so much!


Should be whale sharks in La Paz at that time

HeyMulegeScott - 10-4-2021 at 11:19 AM

We went with this operator in La Paz the other year. https://g.page/bajadiving?share

It's an experience but probably wouldn't do it again. There's a lot of waiting involved before you get cleared to go out to the protected area. When you find one of the sharks they drop you off the boat and everyone furiously kicks trying to keep up with it. You get a lot of fins in the face. A day trip out to Isla Espíritu Santo is something I would repeat again.

Don Jorge - 10-4-2021 at 12:54 PM

La Paz will have whale sharks in December.

The whale shark experience in La Paz is a very organized, very regulated procedure. Both boat and people are counted and allotted time "with the whales sharks." As HeyMulegeScott reported quite accurately, waiting and competing for an in water viewing position is involved.

My suggestion, if you can, is to go on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, not during the holidays and if you can, go on a day close to a quarter moon without wind. By this combination you would have less people, better visibility and easier swimming.

In December, weather is a crap shoot and a little luck would be helpful. North wind season is right around the corner. If you go on a windy day near to the full or new moon phases, the currents in the water will be strong with due to the wind and the tides.

If you are a bit serious about the experience suggest you bring a small weight belt with you. It is a lot easier to dive, swim underwater and stay down with at least a neutral buoyancy.

One thing that impresses me about the La Paz Whale Shark experience are the boat captains and tour guides on the pangas. They are genuinely thrilled to be introducing us tourists to this special place and they exude pride and enthusiasm. There are people on the boats from all over the place and many, many Mexicans from many different states in Mexico too.

it is a fun activity and if you can plan it right, and of course get a bit lucky, you will love it. Good Luck!

AKgringo - 10-4-2021 at 01:06 PM

I have not been on one of the excursions, but I can confirm that they were active in late November last year. I watched the activity of shuffling divers from one of the beaches on the El Mogote Peninsula, just north and west of La Paz.