Whale Watching Holidays

Whale Watching Holidays
Around the World

Go to:
Mexico-Baja California- Sur-Sea of Cortez
Destination 2009

Whales World Wide is the overseas whale and dolphin watching arm of Whale Watch West Cork. We specialise in taking small parties of dedicated whale and dolphin watchers to different parts of the world to experience first hand the special behaviour of whales and dolphins in their natural habitats.

Our whale watching holidays provide an excellent opportunity for dedicated cetacean enthusiasts to view, photograph and learn more about the behaviour of a range of different cetaceans in a number of different habitats. From our experience of whale watching around the world we know the best places to go, the best local guides and the best time of the year to see whales and dolphins. Our local experts, guides and boat captains are hand picked for their knowledge of the area and their experience in whale watching in the region.

We specialise in several destinations around the world for our whale watching holidays, specially selected for their diversity of whales and dolphins and the opportunities they provide for viewing and photographing a variety of marine wildlife in addition to the unique whales and dolphins of that region. Each year we select a destination based on the diversity of whale and dolphin species and the sightings record over previous years.

Proceeds from our whale watching breaks are used to fund ongoing cetacean research and conservation projects on both a national and international level.

Mexico-Baja California-Sur-Sea of Cortez
Whale Watching Holiday Destination 2009

Mexico's Sea of Cortes is a whale watchers paradise. Protected from the Pacific Ocean by the 900 mile long Baja Peninsula its sheltered waters are visited by a wide variety of whales and dolphins including the largest of all, the Blue Whale.

Between mid-February and mid-April we escape the dark and dreary days of a European winter and swop our coats and scarves for sunglasses and shorts. We cruise the waters between La Paz and Loreto aboard our luxurious yacht travelling wherever the blow of a distant whale commands and anchoring each evening in azure clear waters among the islands of the Gulf of California.

Gone are the pressures of work, and now, instead, our days beat to a simpler and more pleasurable rhythm. Now there is time to breathe and to relax, to take in the sparkling water and to feel the warmth of the sun on our faces as we seek memorable encounters with whales and dolphins. And there are many. Over the last four years we have seen BLUES, FIN, SEI, SPERM, PYGMY SPERM, HUMPBACK, KILLER, PILOT and BRYDE'S whales in these waters. And then there are the dolphins, predominantly COMMON, BOTTLENOSE and PACIFIC WHITE SIDED sometimes several hundred…all this set against the breathtaking backdrop of Baja's California Sur's desert landscape.

To visit this place is to open up a world of opportunities. Some mornings we will be up before the dawn, senses dulled, in the hope of catching the first great columns of whale breath erupting from the glassy calm so that, even before breakfast, we have burned into our memories images to last a lifetime.

And so it continues…A bull Sperm whale resting motionless on the surface perhaps. Later in the day a hurry of frigate birds and pelicans may lead us to thousands of common dolphins feeding on huge shoals of fish or we may encounter a small group of bottlenose dolphins relaxed and playful. We have been in a motorboat when we were spy hopped by a baby Blue whale not 15 metres away. We have seen sei whales repeatedly breaching as they explode through the water at 20 knots. Of course to be close to a surfacing Blue whale is worth a king's ransom but the quality of an encounter is not always determined by size.

Last year a Bryde's whale chose to inspect our yacht and having swum alongside it rolled over to get a better view of an ecstatic group of people before lining up directly on our bow and surfacing, courteously displaying the three diagnostic ridges on its head. At night, when conditions allow, we drift under a magenta sky watching for shooting stars and satellites, and, if we are lucky, listening to the blow of whales feeding nearby. In amongst all this we find time to step ashore to explore the arroyos, to beach comb and to marvel at the giant cacti forests. Truly, Baja and the Sea of Cortes are the undiscovered jewels of our planet.

Returning to land and especially work can be a cruel adjustment and so we have created a buffer day. A day trip by road to visit the Gray whales which allows us to explore La Paz and see some of the famous Baja desert at first hand before skimming across the lagoons in a Panga to see the beautiful Grey whales in their Pacific nurseries. We return to La Paz for a final meal together before heading our separate ways the following morning.

MEXICO 2009 DATES AND PRICES
(10/11 days excluding flights)

Mexico - Sea of Cortes - Itinerary

Baja California Sur

Day 1:
Arrive in La Paz in Baja California Sur and transfer to the Moorings base at Marina Palmira.

Trip 1: You can come aboard after 3 pm. If your flight arrives earlier come to the base and we can stow your luggage at their offices allowing time to relax and perhaps explore the town. We will allocate your berth and take you through a briefing about the boat. We eat locally (this is at your own expense) and sleep on board.

Trips 2 and 3: Spend the first evening at the Marina Hotel (included) meeting up with the Captain and the guests from the previous trip. We eat locally that night (this is at your own expense).

Day 2-7:
We set sail into the Bay of La Paz travelling north in search of whales and dolphins. Meals are served on board unless we decide to barbecue on a beach and each night we find a sheltered anchorage among the islands.

Day 8:
Return the boat to La Paz late morning and relocate to the Marina hotel (included). Spend the afternoon and evening in La Paz (meals not included).

Day 9:
Set out early by road to the Grey whale lagoons at Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos on the Pacific coast of Baja (transportation, lunch and grey whale trip included). Return to La Paz in the evening. Final night in the hotel included.

Day 10:
Depart for home unless you decide to stay.
Trip 3 has an extra day's live-aboard.
Trip 2's grey whale excursion day is before the week's live-aboard

Your Tour Leader

Nic Slocum is a veteran of wildlife expeditions to places as far apart as New Zealand, West Africa and British Columbia where he has watched Killer Whales, Sperm Whales and Humpbacks in their natural habitats. A committed conservationist and qualified Zoologist Nic runs Whale Watch West Cork, a leading whale and dolphin watching organization based in the southwest of Ireland. From November through April he leads small parties of cetacean enthusiasts to various parts of the world to view whale and dolphin species not seen in Irish waters and the Eastern Atlantic. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Member of the Institute of Biology Slocum has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nottingham and a PhD awarded by the University of Surrey in the UK. Nic has appeared as a commentator on a number of TV and Radio programmes including A Place By The Sea, This Is Your Life, "999" and Mooney Goes Wild.

Please contact us for further details:

• Call Nic on:
  Mobile: 00 353 (0) 86 120 0027
  Landline: 00 353 (0) 28 33357
• Booking / Enquiry Form Form

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