The whale watching activity is not allowed anymore
December marks the beginning of whale watching in Mexico. Thousands of these majestic marine species arrive to the coasts of the Mexican Pacific, as is the case of the gray whale.
Every year, the whales make a migration of up to 18,000 kilometers, which begins in the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea to reproduce in the lagoons of the western coast of the Baja California peninsula, being their typical habitat during this season.
The gray whale takes advantage of the warm, shallow waters of these places both for breeding and to nurse their newborn calves to spend time together before migrating north to the Alaskan coast.
The encounter with these friendly cetaceans is a natural spectacle that has become a tourist activity for several years, and that practiced in a responsible manner is a tool for environmental education and one of the most enriching experiences in our lives. The states where this activity can be practiced are the following: Baja California, Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Jalisco, Sinaloa, Sonora, Oaxaca and Guerrero.
To guarantee the protection of these species and the conservation of their habitat, it is necessary to comply with the guidelines and specifications of the Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-131-SEMARNAT-2010 published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on October 17, 2022.
The guidelines and specifications take into account the time and zone of arrival to our country, and determine the whale watching areas and restricted zones, as well as the duration of the season per area where non-extractive whale watching activities will be carried out.
For whales, Mexican waters represent a refuge during this season. Therefore, the best thing to do is to practice sustainable and responsible tourism that contributes to preserve this natural gift that allows the providers of this tourist service to obtain a benefit for their economy, and the tourists to live a close experience with nature and the animal world.
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