Every year is different, but from around November and sometimes until up to mid-May is what you can call whale watching Season in Rocky Point, Mexico.
The Fin and Gray whales migrate down from Alaska and have their babies on the west side of the Baja in Guerro Negro in the San Ignacio Lagoon and then many of the Fin whales find their way into the Sea of Cortez for the winter before they head back North. Once in a while, we get an Orca into the Sea of Cortez, but not every year. Sadly, when the Orca shows up, the other whales leave.
When to visit Rocky Point for whale watching
The best month to catch them is January, you can usually see them swimming from Las Conchas, also even from El Malecon or the Resort Area. But the best way to see them is to take a boat out to the Sea of Cortez they usually don’t Swim that far away from the Coast but is a lot easier to see them up close that way. One option is to take a Whale Watching Tour with different service providers here in Rocky Point there are from small boats to yachts you can take to go Whale Watching.
Many of our local residents fly over to the Baja and go out on the panga boats so that they can pet the whales. There is a whale watching service here that is offered by Tony Ballestero, called Tony’s Mystical Whale Watching Tours. He makes all the arrangements from transportation to lodging and boats. I believe it includes everything except your food. Guerro Negro is not a big city but does offer a few restaurants. You can find his business online or meet him at the Mermaid Markets and sign up.
The fin whale is the 2nd largest whale in the world and adults can grow up to 80’ long. They are one of the fastest swimming whales around. They can get up to the weight of 48,000 kgs.
There are now several boats in Puerto Penasco that offer whale-watching trips
The whales can be seen from the shore for many years in Las Conchas, The Old Port, and Sandy Beach. But to really enjoy them you want to be on a boat. Tour boat operators such as Eco Fun Tours have 2 catamarans that will take you out to see them. Pancho Villa Charters will get you out quickly on their very comfortable cabin cruiser and then they just shut down and watch. Another fun boat to go out on is Del Mar Charters, which offers a spacious catamaran to get you out among the whales. You can check their websites for phone numbers and email addresses to book your trip. Whale watching is fun and educational for the whole family and the trips are usually 3 to 4 hours long. The above boats offer either Margaritas and beer or on the Eco Fun and their Sol Chaser you will have a full open bar. There are other smaller boats that go out, but the 3 mentioned above are the most popular. You will not be packed on these boats and everyone will be able to see the whales. It is always so exciting to see a mom and her calf. Make sure you have your camera ready for when they breach near the boats or come up to blow.
Every year is different for their arrival dates, so start checking in November-December as the boats will start posting sightings. Del Mar Charters and the Eco Fun boats go out from the docks on the south side of the Mariana and the Pancho Villa departs from the Safe Marina which is located on the east side of the harbor and has ample parking.
If you have any more questions about Whale Watching in Rocky Point or Puerto Penasco in general, you can call us from USA: 1-800-997-9431 from Mexico: 01-800-681-6534
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And here is a Video from Whale Watching trip here in Rocky Point:
