Humpback Whales of Banderas Bay

Banderas Bay is one of the largest bays on the Pacific coast and, from roughly December to March, a humpback nursery. The whales migrate several thousand kilometres from Alaskan feeding grounds to these warm, deep, sheltered waters to mate and give birth, and they behave conspicuously while here: breaching clear of the water, pectoral slapping, tail lobbing, and - the sound many visitors remember longest - the males' song, audible through hydrophones on the better tours. Calves nurse and practise leaping beside their mothers in the shallows near Nuevo Vallarta and the bay's northern shore. Regulations govern the encounter: licensed boats only, minimum distances, limited time with any group, no swimming with whales, engines idled when animals approach. Trips run from the marinas in fast pangas and larger catamarans, biologist-led on the research-minded operations. Sightings in peak weeks are near-certain, and the bay is deep enough that whales are often visible from the shore, the malecon and hotel balconies without paying anything at all.

What you actually see

• Breaching adults - full-body leaps and pectoral slaps.
• Mothers and calves - nursing pairs in the sheltered north bay.
• The song - males' calls through onboard hydrophones.
• Shore sightings - blows and breaches from the malecon.

When to go

December to March, with January and February the peak; morning departures find the calmest water and best light. Book licensed, permit-carrying operators.

Honest expectations

Whales are wild - operators cannot promise close encounters, and swimming with them is prohibited. Small boats mean spray and motion; the sensitive should medicate. Choose operators that keep the legal distance rather than chase.

Nearby

The Marietas Islands, Yelapa's cove and Sayulita's beaches surround the same bay.