Before the whales leave .. you have to watch them… SAVE 15 % off
One of the must to do in your holidays is to do a trip into the ocean and see the Whales.
A photo captures a single moment in time, and this specialized excursion is designed to capture the magical moment when you encounter wild dolphins and majestic humpback whales in the Bay of Banderas.
The essence of this Activity is to find the wildlife and enjoy those precious moments when you can sit peacefully and watch the whales and dolphins play, breach, or just hang out.
There is no such thing as a “typical day” on this adventure tour, because often it is the “wild ones” (the whales and dolphins) who are in charge of the daily itinerary. We can’t always predict where they are, so we will let them guide us along their preferred route of the day.
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a Baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12-16 meters (40-50 ft) and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobby head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the water. Males produce a complex whale song, which lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and is repeated for hours at a time. The purpose of the song is not yet clear, although it appears to have a role in mating.
Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometers each year. Humpbacks feed only in summer, in polar waters, and migrate to tropical or sub-tropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter. During the winter, humpbacks fast and live off their fat reserves. The species’ diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net feeding technique.
Like other large whales, the humpback was and is a target for the whaling industry. Due to over-hunting, its population fell by an estimated 90% before a whaling moratorium was introduced in 1966. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, humpbacks are now sought out by whale-watchers.
Humpback whales are rorquals (family Balaenopteridae), a family that includes the blue whale, the fin whale, the Bryde’s whale, the Sei whale and the Minke whale. Humpback whales can easily be identified by their stocky bodies with obvious humps and black dorsal coloring. The head and lower jaw are covered with knobs called tubercles, which are actually hair follicles and are characteristic of the species.
The tail flukes, which are lifted high in some dive sequences, have wavy trailing edges. There are four global populations, all being studied. North Pacific, Atlantic, and southern ocean humpbacks have distinct populations which make an annual migration.
The long black and white tail fin, which can be up to a third of body length, and the pectoral fins have unique patterns, which enable individual whales to be recognized. Humpbacks also have ‘rete mirable’ a heat exchanging system, which works similarly to the same structured system in certain species of sharks and other fish.
If you don´t want to miss this opportunity just contact me at concierge@vallartaescapes.com and i will be glad to help you.
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