Cabo Whale Watching

Over spring break, I went to Cabo and one of my favorite parts of the trip was a boat day where we saw whales. The boat trip started as a regular touristy trip, visiting the rock formations and El Arco, but once we got to the open water, the magic started to happen.

Our boat driver started pointing out whales in the distance and explaining what we were seeing. He told us that when whales lift their tails out of the water like that, it means they’re about to dive deeper below the surface, and after that they can stay down for a while, which is why they would just disappear. He also pointed out that the white markings on the underside of their tails are different for every whale, kind of like a fingerprint, and that researchers use those patterns to identify them.

We also saw dolphins swimming alongside the boat, which felt completely different. They were moving fast and coming right up next to us, while the whales felt slower and calmer. The driver told us the whales we were seeing were humpbacks, which migrate to Cabo during this time of year because the water is warmer and it’s where they come to breed.

It was one of those moments where we all just stopped and watched for a while, which made it stand out from the rest of the trip.




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