Close encounter with humpback whales

If you ever dreamed of experiencing the thrill of seeing humpback whales in their natural environment just a few meters away to observe their way of feeding, socialization and behavior to bring you an unforgettable experience, the beaches of Krystal International Vacation Club in Puerto Vallarta are the right spot.

Every year people around the world gather in Mexico to await the amazing opportunity to be one of the first to spot a humpback whale. For about 4 months hundreds of cetaceans come to live in Banderas Bay, as it is one of their preferred places to be with their young whales and teach them how to swim, eat, get stronger and be able to follow their mothers and continue their journey.
This opportunity allows us to have a deeper knowledge about their lifestyle.

A mediados de Diciembre y a finales de Marzo, hasta 3 especies diferentes de ballenas migran a la Bahía de Banderas para dar a luz, amamantar y criar a sus jóvenes ballenatos en las cálidas aguas del océano pacífico. No hay nada más emocionante que observar a estos increíbles animales marinos en plena libertad con sus saltos, coletazos y juegos; estos tan solo son algunos de los comportamientos que podemos observar en ellos.

From mid-December to late March, 3 different species of whales migrate to Banderas Bay and give birth, nurse and raise their young whales in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean. There is nothing more exciting than watching these amazing marine animals in freedom with their jumps, sounds and games; these are just some of the behaviors we can appreciate from them.

The singing of the male whale is one of the most beautiful sounds of nature and one of the strongest produced by an animal in the whole world, with whistles and sounds divided into verses with durations up to half an hour; The purpose of this chant is to attract the females and once the female approaches the male, he begins to swim beside her and the touch between each other causes them to do incredible jumps out of the water, with their 30 tons and almost 15 meters in length.

Humpback Whales seem happy to entertain their observers and probably they are one of the sea species that provides greater opportunities in the world to get photographed.

In Puerto Vallarta the observation and care of humpback whales has professionalized in the past years and some companies offer tours to visit them. These companies must follow the rules in Mexico to carry out observation and protect these fascinating animals.

There are four basic rules to participate in this activity:

• Do not get within a hundred feet of the animals.
• Do not spend more than thirty minutes with the same group of whales, especially if there are other boats around.
• If there are two boats already, find another group of whales.
• Be sure to go on an authorized boat for this activity. Authorized boats carry a banner with a number and the seal of the Mexican Ministry of Ecology.

By respecting these rules, humpback whales will keep coming and we will keep enjoying this natural wonder.

For more information on tours please contact the following websites.

• Vallarta Adventure
• Explora Vallarta