Spectacular views of whales just offshore abound from October through April. Of the world's eleven species of whales, eight come to Los Cabos to breed and nurse their young.
Each winter the California Gray Whales make the 8,000 mile trek from the Bering Sea of Alaska to the warm lagoons of southern Baja California. From late January through March these gentle giants occupy the coves and inlets of Baja. Many of them can be found about 400 miles northwest of Cabo, however many will continue their journey south to the Cape where they will birth their calves and feast on the abundant plankton of the nutrient-rich Sea of Cortez.
Your first indication of the gray whale will probably be its spout or “blow”—up to 15 ft (4.5 m) high, bushy, and occasionally heart-shaped when seen from the front or rear. It will be visible for miles on calm days, and an explosive “whoosh” of exhalation may be heard up to ½ mile away. The spout consists mostly of condensation created as the whale’s warm humid breath expands and cools in the sea air, along with sea water blown into the air as the whale begins its exhalation just below the surface. Look for 3-5 blows as a rule, 30-50 seconds apart before the whale dives again. (As a rule of thumb, a gray whale will blow once for each minute it has spent in its dive.) Use your stopwatch to time these blows and predict when the whale is due to blow again. |
