Humpback Whales in Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta records its first humpback whales’ sightings of the 2024 – 2025 season.

Like anyone getting ready to receive a special visitor, the landscapes of Puerto Vallarta are beautified before their arrival. The rainy season colors the Sierra Madre mountains’ slopes and leaves them shining in their green splendor. The rivers run abundant and crystal clear towards the sea, where the guests of honor begin to make an appearance.

Little by little, throughout the last days of November and the first days of December, the high jets of water expelled by their blowholes announce their arrival, leaving clouds of sea breeze floating in the air like fireworks celebrating their triumphant entry into the bay. The beloved humpback whales have finally arrived!

After a long migration from the icy waters north of the continent, these imposing cetaceans begin to splash the surface of the great Banderas Bay with their frolic, making it clear that large proportions are not at odds with play. Apparently, the temperate waters of the Mexican Pacific are their favorite playground.

In addition to spending the winter in warmer waters, their journey has another very special purpose. Humpback whales have chosen this spot of the planet to carry out their mating rituals and – almost a year later – have their offspring in this same place. With a little luck, it is possible to witness their amazing courtship dances, a race where the males go after the females at high speed, colliding with each other, competing for the honor of perpetuating the species.

Puerto Vallarta has several certified companies to observe them up close – such as Ecotours Vallarta, Wildlife Connection, Vallarta Adventures and Mike’s Fishing & Tours, among other tour operators – which have biologists and expert guides who explain a little about the fascinating world of whales and their behavior. In addition, their boats have hydrophones to listen to their enigmatic songs.

You can also witness sublime moments, such as the calves splashing around their mother, or when one of these colossal mammals rises out of the water to drop all its tonnage in what is believed to be a way of getting rid of some parasites. For those who are fortunate enough to witness it, it is an absolutely amazing spectacle that they will never forget.

After a while on the surface of the sea, the whales prepare to immerse by arching their bodies – hence they are known as humpbacks – saying goodbye to dive for a few minutes by showing their tail, whose white spots are unique to each specimen and identify them as if they were their fingerprint.

This unique natural spectacle lasts approximately 5 months – until the month of April – when the whales begin their return accompanied by their newborns on their first trip to the north, some of them carrying in their bellies the calves that they will give birth to on their next visit.

Humpback Whale Watching Season in Puerto Vallarta https://promovisionpv.com/humpback-whale-watching-season-in-puerto-vallarta/

We provide information and resources for visitors to Puerto Vallarta, areas of The Riviera Nayarit and other destinations in both states of Jalisco and Nayarit . You will find variety of content, including articles, blog posts, videos, photos, descriptions and interviews, all of which are designed to help visitors plan their trip, including attractions, restaurants, and events. https://promovisionpv.com/