Whale Watching Season

Whale watching season in the Pacific Ocean off the Baja Peninsula and in the Sea of Cortez begins in December and carries through the winter months until the end of March. Large cetaceans, such as Gray Whales and Humpback Whales, migrate thousands of miles every year from the frigid northern Pacific waters. Pods of these mammoth marine mammals travel some six thousand miles to the warmer waters near Cabo San Lucas. These cetaceans travel to the waters off the Mexican coast in order to mate, give birth and nurse their calves. Gray Whales, the most prevalent whale species in the waters that surround Los Cabos, prefer to give birth to their calves in relatively shallow protected coves and lagoons. The calves nurse and develop their survival skills in the shelter of these coves. During their time nursing in the lagoons, the calves double in weight from approximately fifteen hundred pounds to around three thousand pounds. Gray Whales, the only species of whale known to bottom feed, prefer to frequent shallower waters to filter feed on small crustaceans on the sea floor.

Gray Whales and Humpback Whales are not the only whales that may be spotted during the winters off the Baja Peninsula, including Blue Whales, Sperm Whales, Bryde´s Whales, Sei Whales, Fin Whales, and occasionally Orcas. Also known as Killer Whales, Orcas are legendary predators that have been known to hunt other whale species.

Other marine mammals, such as Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Spotted Dolphins and Sea Lions, can be seen in the local waters around Los Cabos throughout the year.