Some Things to Know About Whale Watching in Cabo

[heels_fan]

Like so many others, when our ship anchored in Cabo, we wandered off the tender boat, through the gauntlet of people offering different tours, and around the marina, until we found the person through whom we wanted to book our whale watching tour. (When in Rome, right?) The gentleman was very nice and walked us back to the place where the tour company was located. There, we met another exceptionally nice gentleman. I thought he would be our boat captain, but boy was I wrong. The time came to board our boat, and we all excitedly made our way down the ramp and onto the boat. Right away, it became clear that the boat was going to be very crowded, and families were trying to figure out seating. In the confusion of things, I got separated from my boyfriend. I started to turn around to head back to sit with him, and suddenly felt someone push me from behind, and say, "keep moving, lady". I was pretty shocked, but didn't want to cause a scene, so just did what had to do to get out of the way and circle back to where my boyfriend was and grab a seat. Turns out the rude guy was the boat captain. Yikes. And now we were taking off before everyone had lifejackets. Double yikes. For a few moments, it was unclear as to whether there were even enough life jackets for everyone on the boat, but eventually enough were found. Seats, however were another story. When we left the dock, there were exactly zero extra seats. Then we stopped at the beaches and took on additional passengers. These folks had nowhere to sit (which wouldn't matter eventually anyway). Once we passed the infamous arch, the captain kicked up the speed and we started to get splashed a little. Ok, no big deal. Absolutely to be expected on a boat ride in the ocean. But then he really cranked the speed up and to make a long story short - we were all entirely soaked and miserable. Not just a little wet. Not just a little uncomfortable. But we were all as wet as if we had just taken a shower and the water kept pouring in on us - sometimes smacking different passengers in the face. Most of us had come prepared with jackets and water shoes, but we would have needed wetsuits to be comfortable for this excursion. I felt most sorry for those with little kids. The couple beside of me had two little girls that were probably 3 and 4 years old and one of them cried during most of the trip. All of the passengers were standing, huddled together in the middle of the boat, in attempt to not be showered quite as much. That resulted in people being thrown back and forth into each other, as the boat bounced over the waves. We all continued to be soaked and thrown around for the next hour. Of course, I don't expect to go out in a boat & stay bone dry with no movement, but what we experienced can not be the norm, or no one would willingly take this trip. When we FINALLY made it back to the dock, the captain uttered his first words of the trip... to ask for tips. While doing so, he was standing on the seats, and reached down and grabbed the ponytail of braids of a young lady who was on board and sort of shook it. I guess he thought it was playful, but it was weird and incredibly disrespectful. This poor girl was livid. She was trying her best to keep her cool, and just wanted off of that boat - like all of us at that point. What we had hoped would be a memorable - perhaps once in a lifetime - experience, was really just a bad memory. Of course, it's sort of laughable now, but I worry that those with young children or medical problems, etc., could find themselves in some real difficulty if stuck in a similar situation. I hope you all have much better luck than we did!

[CruiserBruce]

A little hard to follow this with no paragraph breaks or similar. It would be helpful if you gave some identifying info...company or boat name, so we know who to avoid.

 

We do whale watch trips on Maui most years. Have never worn a lifejacket on 20 and 32 passenger rigid hulled inflatable boats. 

[heels_fan]

@CruiserBruce My apologies for the poor writing style. Admittedly it was late and I was rambling, rather than writing for clarity. 

 

Part of the problem was that I really have no idea who this outfit was. We literally just met at a random point and then loaded onto a nondescript boat. I do, however, blame a lot of what happened on myself - for not doing more research. 

 

What you say regarding life jackets gives credence to my notion that what we experienced cannot possibly be normal. I am a strong swimmer and would normally not think twice about not having a life jacket. However, we were being tossed all over the boat, to the extent that a few people stumbled and caught themselves on the edge. I would not have been surprised to see someone go overboard. I know the sea conditions cannot be helped, but I feel like a decent captain could adjust to keep his passengers safe. 

[Mike45LC]

Cabo authorities require all passengers to wear a life vest, so (1) I am not surprised that OP's captain insisted, and (2) I am surprised that Cousin Brucie was not required to wear one!  I always put one on on our boat rides in Cabo.

 

I'm sorry that the OP had a poor experience, and hope that it does not dissuade her from taking a whale watching trip in the future.  I wish there was an identification of this very bad captain and his boat, but I understand how hard that can be.

 

One thing the OP did not mention was if they spotted any whales up close.  I hope there was at least that on the plus side for this trip.

 

[heels_fan]

@Mike45LC Thankfully, we did see a few whales. It was certainly a very cool experience. I wasn't able to take photos, due to the conditions, so I see that as a reason to absolutely return and seek out a company that can provide a much better experience. 😄

 

 

[jcc1025]

Gray whales will be very comon in Baja and around the Cabo area from mid to late Feburary to April as they start to move north. Humpbacks are in late summer and fall. Blue whales, Fin whales and Sperm whales are in the area but the lower numbers mean you see occassional sighting. I volunteer on a whale wathing boat in southern California and it is always a guess as to when and what you will see but these areas give you a good chance and you will always so other wild life. Remember that dolphins porposies count as seeing a whale. Good luck. 

[IRMO12HD]

@heels_fanThank you for taking the time (and keystrokes!) to describe your experience.  I am contemplating finding an independent excursion (as opposed to a ship-sponsored one) and appreciate your candor and detail.  I've been checking on these and other forums to try and find recommendations so I know who to seek out.  It sounds like I need to dive a little deeper to find reputable and responsible excursion providers.

[Derbie]

On 1/27/2023 at 7:38 PM, Mike45LC said:

Cabo authorities require all passengers to wear a life vest, so (1) I am not surprised that OP's captain insisted, and (2) I am surprised that Cousin Brucie was not required to wear one!  I always put one on on our boat rides in Cabo.

 

I'm sorry that the OP had a poor experience, and hope that it does not dissuade her from taking a whale watching trip in the future.  I wish there was an identification of this very bad captain and his boat, but I understand how hard that can be.

 

One thing the OP did not mention was if they spotted any whales up close.  I hope there was at least that on the plus side for this trip.

 

We are sailing the last week of March with our son and his family.  I know it is very iffy, as we took a whale spotting cruise in March about 10 years ago.  I cannot remember for love-or-money the name of the operation.  Can you recommend a company there in port?  It sounds like you are quite knowledgeable. I did go digging a bit on this board a bit.  There are 8 of us, and we the grandparents will probably pay.  So, if we could find a reputable company that is not too too expensive, it would great!   Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[marysb]

Just got back from Cabo on a land trip.  We had an incredible whale watching experience.  We booked Cabo Nature,  a small company run by some young women.  All are oceanographers or marine biologists.  A fantastic day and we were lucky with seeing lots of active whales.  Check out this small company - they are great.   

[heels_fan]

@marysb I am so jealous (in a friendly way, of course!) that you were able to go out with Cabo Nature! We were originally scheduled with them, but time change/time zone confusion between the cruise ship & land forced us to cancel. I am so glad to hear that you had a lovely time. We will definitely check them out in the future if the timing is conducive.