|
 For the last four years or so, and with all due respect,
through the Department of Tourism of the State of Jalisco,
we have been promoting humpback whale watching for
tourists, with quite favorable results. Whale watching
in the Bay of Banderas has become one of the most popular
tourist activities in Puerto Vallarta and surrounding
areas.
Officially, the humpback whale watching tours began
in mid-December and according to the experts, the months
of February and March are the best for this activity.
All the companies that offer those tours have taken
courses and received the corresponding permits from
the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources
[SEMARNAT].
Whale watching is a real spectacle,
one that can be enjoyed with a four to six-hour tour
on the deep blue waters of the bay. The boats that
offer this service are varied and the costs range
between $300.00 and $800.00 pesos per person. It
all depends on what each boat offers. Some of the
larger ones offer leisure sunbathing time as they
sail along the coastline, along with food and drink.
But you may also hire a "panga" or
small motor boat whose sole purpose is the search for
whales to watch.
According to SEMARNAT, the first humpbacks arrive
in the bay during the last days of November to mate
and reproduce, and they generally begin their journey
back to their place of origin at the end of March or
beginning of April.
The humpback whales that come here are from California. They belong to one
of the largest populations of the North American Pacific, with regard to
their reproduction.
 A study conducted by the
Marine Biology Station in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
in our neighboring state of Nayarit showed that approximately
four thousand specimens have been spotted in Mexico
the last few years. Each season, they spread to areas
such as Los Cabos, Isla Isabel, the Bay of Banderas,
Islas Marías, the Gulf of California, Islas
Revillagigedo and the coast of Colima in order to
reproduce.
There are many species that come to reproduce in the temperate waters of Mexico,
but the ones that come close to shore are more obvious. Such is the case
of the humpback whales, but also the gray whales that we can usually watch
and study as they too dare to come close to the shorelines.
There are also fin whales, blue whales and other species whose behavior makes
their observation and study more difficult.
According to the National
Institute of Ecology (INE), whale watching is regulated
by the Norma Official Mexicana (NOM-ECOL-1998) -official Mexican norm- and
since the year 2000, the safety of the cetaceans has been guaranteed. This
standard has enabled us to establish policies and specifications that contribute
to their protection and the conservation of their habitat.
Among other aspects, the norm deals with the ways
in which whales may be approached, distances to be
observed, and the maximum number of boats that are
allowed to observe a whale at the same time, with a
maximum of 30 minutes, at a distance of 30 meters (90
ft.) for small crafts and 60 meters (180 ft) for the
large ones.
In our region of the Pacific, it was established that the official whale watching
season extends from December 15 to March 31.
 In Puerto Vallarta, most
crafts dedicated to this activity leave from the
piers in Marina Vallarta and Los Muertos, while in
the southern part of the state of Nayarit they leave
from El Anclote, Cruz de Huanacaxtle and Bucerías,
among other points.
The Department of Tourism of Jalisco (Setujal) reported that Puerto Vallarta
is one of the first destinations in the country to promote humpback whale
watching for tourism purposes and within the framework of all the respect
due to the cetaceans.
In one of its reports, the Department stated that scientific studies have enabled
them to determine that female whales are larger than the males, due to the
fact that they consume more food in order to survive during their reproductive
stages that usually go from November to March. The same report adds that
these females generally measure between 15 and 18 meters (45' to 55') and
weigh an average of 40 tons, increasing to 60 when they are pregnant. For
his part, the male measures some 14 meters (42') in length with an average
weight of 35 tons.
A study conducted by the
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
(UNAM) established that until some decades ago, there were 15,000 whales in
the Pacific of which there are only approximately 1,500 specimens remaining.
According to that study, the reduction in numbers is due to the whale hunts
conducted by Japanese, Russian and Norwegian whalers, as well as those people
for whom whale meat is a basic staple of their diet.
It is estimated that there
are 5 to 7 thousand whales in the north Pacific of
which some 1,500 are "Mexican" as they
were conceived in our waters.
Humpback whales got their name because of the small hump they have on their
dorsal fin, and when they arch their backs to dive, this protuberance looks
like a hump. It also has a sort of wart that parasites such as sea fleas
attach themselves to.
 It is interesting to watch how these whales change weight depending on the
time of year. For example, the humpback normally measures anywhere between
12 and 13 meters in length in the summertime, when they're in their feeding
grounds, and weigh around 33 or 34 tons, but when they travel to the coast
of Mexico, they will get down to 30 - 31 tons.
Humpback whales usually look for naturally protected areas to raise their calves
and the Bay of Banderas is quite protected. Here a calf born after a year-long
pregnancy will find the calm needed to devote its time to feeding, gaining
weight and forming a layer of fat that will protect it during its voyage
back up north.
Their performance as they breach way up above the water is one way males use
to attract the attention of females. But it is quite a spectacle for all
those lucky enough to see them on sunny days.
The Marine Biology station at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle estimates that some 200
humpback whales come to our bay each season, this is where they conclude
their reproductive stage. The humpback whale may live as long as 60 years
and it is one of the largest in the world.
The largest of all is the blue whale that may reach 30 meters (around 100')
in length. Next come the sperm and the bowhead whales, then the gray, with
the humpback ranking fifth in length.
Whales feed through baleen, filtering krill and small sardines, although unlike
the other species, the humpback does it in cooperating groups, i.e. when
they find a large mass of food, they organize in groups to feed on it.
Humpback whale watching is an extraordinary natural spectacle and the experience
of being able to see them just 100 feet away is unforgettable. To really
enjoy the activity, going early on a clear sunny day is best.
The Editor
editor@pvmirror.com
To learn more abouth the Humpback Whale please
visit the folowing sites:
Nature: Humpback
Whales
Learn about their mysterious habits and songs.
Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society
Organization dedicated to protecting marine wildlife species.
The
Oceania Project
Web site featuring information about whales and dolphins, maintained by Wally
and Trish Franklin.
Humpback
Whale
Facts and figures from the American Cetacean Society.
Virtual
Whales
How to find out the species of a whale that you've just seen.
Whale
Songs
Songs recorded by Michael Noad of the Australian Marine Mammal Research Centre
at Sydney University.
Whales,
Dolphins, and Porpoises (Order Cetacea)
The tale of the whole whale family, from the U.S. National Marine Mammal
Laboratory.
Cetacea
Everything you wanted to know about whales and more.
Archives
by date |
Current
Weather Report
