Welcome to Vallarta's premier whale watching adventure!

Our tours are unique and exciting, full of up-close and personal contact with our local marine wildlife and hosted by a knowledgeable skipper with over 10 years of experience in local waters.

It offers something for everyone, the outer bay is where you might find aggressive males competing for the favors of willing females, and the sheltered inner bay is one of the most important humpback nurseries in the world.

Mid-January to the end of March is the usual whale-watching season in Samana Bay; however, the excursions continue as long as enough whales remain. The rest of the year, the whales feed in the cold, fish-rich waters of the North Atlantic and Iceland and Greenland, but there is no better time than the winter mating season when the male humpbacks, eager to impress the females, are most animated, and when newborn calves can be seen swimming alongside their mothers.

During the months that the whales are not here in the bay, we operate the rest of excursions showed here: Fishing, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Dolphins in the wild, etc. where we take small groups, out into the bay to interact with our rich marine wildlife .

About Humpback Whales

Humpbacks are air-breathing mammals belonging to the group known as great whales. Adults measure 40-50 ft/12-15 m and weigh 30-40 tons. Babies measure 10-15 ft/3-4.5 m and weigh 1.5-2 tons.

When born they have little blubber (fat) to protect them from the cold water awaiting them in the north but grow quickly on the rich milk provided by their mother.

Each day they drink 50 gallons of milk that is 50-60% fat and gain 100 pounds, much of which is blubber. By comparison, the milk of a human mother is 2% fat.

Adult humpbacks are black or dark gray with white patches on the flippers, the belly, and the underside of the tail. At first glance all look alike, but there are differences.

The black and white pigmentation on the underside of the tail flukes is the most common means of distinguishing one from another.

No two have the same markings, enabling whale scientists to identify humpbacks in the same way humans are by their fingerprints. Permanent scars, dorsal fin shape and other unique markings also help distinguish one from another.

No whale species is more active than the humpback, causing Herman Melville in Moby Dick to call them the most lighthearted and gamesome of all the whales. And the breeding season is when they are the most animated. Among the behaviors that delight whale watchers are:

Breaching: Whale builds momentum swimming underwater, then launches itself into the air, exposing some or all of its body before crashing back onto the water’s surface.

Flippering: Whale rolls on its side or back, raises one or both flippers, then slaps it/them against the surface.

Rolling: Horizontal on the surface, the whale rolls between 45 and 60 degrees, perhaps slapping the water with its flippers.

Surface Active Group: Two to 20 rowdy males compete aggressively to mate with a fertile female. They may breach, slam heads and bodies, and even draw blood.

The humpback whale is also known for its haunting melody, a variety of chirps, yups, grunts and eooooos that form a song. Jacques Cousteau called them the Carusos of the deep. Whales can hear the songs for up to 20 miles; humans can eavesdrop with an underwater listening device called a hydrophone.

Whale watching tours must, by law, protect the whales within this sanctuary. Among the rules are: limits on the number of vessels that can observe a whale at the same time; the minimum distance that must be maintained between vessels and whales (unless a curious whale approaches the boat); speed of travel through the whale area; and the length of time a vessel may spend watching an individual whale. Additionally, no vessel may permit passengers to swim with the whales. Because captains sometimes violate the regulations, thinking their clients will be happier getting a closer look at the whales, passengers are asked to insist that the regulations be adhered to. The regulations are important and the support of everyone is needed to not only protect the whales, but to ensure their return to Puerto Vallarta in future years.

For further information & prices for this kind of tours please Contact Us