Whale Watching Question ???

[mikeblum]

We are sailing on the MARINER OF THE SEA'S on march 15,2009...doing the Mexican Riviera...mazatland...purto villarta and cabo san lucas...whale watchign is supposed to be good in march from what we have been told...of the 3 ports of call anyone have any feed back on which stop maybe the best for watching the whales...thanks...

[novalab]

I don't know about whales but when we went on this itinerary some years ago, we sure had a lot of dolphins escorting us! At one point, I counted 20 just on our side of the ship:p

[Jimbo]

Cabo

[mikeblum]

we'll check out the cabo excursions...

[chubbycheeks]

We did the Tall ship in Cabo earlier this year and saw a mother and calf. Just so you know...I saw more whales on the cruise ship than I saw on the excursion. ;)

[Loyal2RCCL]

There's a great whale watching excursion in Cabo that takes you out on small zodiac inflatable rafts rather than the larger boats and is fantastic.. We got very close to several whales and had a great time.

 

If you do this, please note, you will get wet from splashing waves and it's a pretty rough ride compared to the larger boats-- but it's a great adventure.

[mikeblum]

my wife wants to do a whale watching excursion in cabo but has already said...i'm not going out in a little boat or raft to see whales...please tell me that some of the excursion boats that do go out to view the whale watching hold about 30 or 40 people...if not larger...thanks

[Married on Enchantment]

Definatly Cabo,

 

We went ashore and talked to one of the local tours there and got a private boat for 2 hrs for $25 each. It was the most amazing experience I have ever seen. They are very careful to not get in the path of the whales, but we got really close behind them. If you are lucky you may see them leaping out of the water. On our return from Puerto Vallerta back to LA last year, we passed by Cabo we easily saw over 30 whales leaping out of the water that day. I would recommend a smaller boat which is more manuverable and you can almost reach out and touch them. I wouldn't though, they are giants in the water.

 

Jarrad

[newmexicoNita]

We are sailing on the MARINER OF THE SEA'S on march 15,2009...doing the Mexican Riviera...mazatland...purto villarta and cabo san lucas...whale watchign is supposed to be good in march from what we have been told...of the 3 ports of call anyone have any feed back on which stop maybe the best for watching the whales...thanks...

Cabo is the best, and yes, it should be good, but not as good as Jan and Feb. My March the big guys are considering visiting their vacation homes in Alaska.

 

Nita

[mikeblum]

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT SIZE BOATS THEY USE FOR THE EXCURSIONS...my wife will not go on a little 10 or 15 seater boat or raft...she needs something a little bit bigger...any past whale watchers out there know if something bigger goes out to watch the whales...she wants to go but doesn't want to get sick...i would love to go but probably won't if she doesn't go...

[SDPadreFan]

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT SIZE BOATS THEY USE FOR THE EXCURSIONS...my wife will not go on a little 10 or 15 seater boat or raft...she needs something a little bit bigger...any past whale watchers out there know if something bigger goes out to watch the whales...she wants to go but doesn't want to get sick...i would love to go but probably won't if she doesn't go...

 

Mike - relax a little - everything will be fine.

 

First off - whale watching info for Cabo. The whale watching season typically runs from December through March. The best time (in my opinion), is in mid-February). This is when the new mom's are out with their young calves. For those leaving on a mid-March cruise you need to be aware that it will be the "tail-end" (no pun intended) of the season. As you get closer to April, there will be fewer & fewer whales hanging around (it has to do with the change in water temperature (warming). So I would say that the 3rd and 4th week of March will generally yield fewer and fewer whale siteings. You may even end up with one or none, anything is possible. If the water stays cold, they may hang around a little longer, but that's a gamble. If you want to see my whale pictures from this past February, follow the link.

 

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562535753iirWdb

 

Second - whale watching excursions run the gamut from exclusive sail boat charters to water taxi's (over grown row boats). There are zodiac boats; best in my opinion is OceanRiders (check website). That is a wet, wild "E" ticket (showing my age) ride. OceanRiders seats @14 people in "saddle" type seats. There are great catamaran companies like Pez Gato (my favorite), La Princesa, Risalena, Tropicat, etc. (all have websites. The catamarans generally hold 40-70 passengers. There are sail boats like the Yael which hold about 12 passengers. There are also larger boats like the double decker SunRider which can hold 70-100 passengers. All will offer different amenities and different price points.

 

Zodiac's and water taxi's: Bathrooms - sorry but you will just have to hold it for about 3 hours. Food - doubtfull, maybe a bottle of water or a soda.

 

Catamarans: Bathrooms - yes but the best description would be to say that they are an adventure. They have them, but it's interesting (read - very small). Food & Drink - sodas, bottled water, beer (all included). Generally they will also have chips with fresh made salsa & guacamole (Pez Gato had this and it was great). Some may also provide sandwiches.

 

Bigger ships like SunRiders: They will have larger bathrooms. Food & drink may include a great lunch grilled on Sunriders open grill as well as a pretty good open bar (nothin' fancy like Grey Goose).

 

So take your pick. I believe the sailboats like Yael also provide food and drink.

[mikeblum]

tanks for the feed back padre fan...

[WinterEscape]

Last year we sailed the Mexican Riveria in March. We were able to see whales from the cruise ship.

[mikeblum]

this makes my wonderful wife alot better that she may not have to get into some little orw boat or raft...i don't think she wants to see alot of whales just one or two...they will make her happy...and a happy wonderul wife is important...