More than 20 species of cetaceans spend time around Baja. Grays breed and calve in the lagoons along the Pacific. Bahia Magdalena is a center for gray whale observation. Humpbacks and blues breed in the Sea of Cortez; Bahia de los Angeles is the center there.

Every year thousands of California gray whales migrate 6,000 miles from the cold waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas to the warm waters of Baja California's central Pacific coast. From mid-December through March, Scammon's Lagoon is the destination of the largest number of these magnificent mammals, approximately 1,500 (including newborn calves) every year.

The Best Whale Watching Locations

Whales can be witnessed from all of the waters in Mexico, but the real whale congregating spots are the protected bays along the pacific side of Baja California (Gray Whales),  Between the tip of Baja California and the Banderas Bay area of the Mainland of Mexico (Humpback Whales) and the Sea of Cortes (Blue Whales). It is estimated that 15,000 whales migrate to Mexican waters each winter. They come to Mexico to feed, to meet other whales, and mate.

How do you spot a whale?  Scan the horizon watching for a cloud of "smoke" that rises 10-20 feet above the the ocean.  Be patent and watch the general area of the "smoke" for a few minutes. Whales need to breath every seven to fifteen minutes and the "smoke" is water vapor exhaled from their blow hole.

The best way to see these magnificent creatures is from the deck of a small cruise ship whose captain will take his ship to were the whales are located.  If you have an interest in this type of "Whale Watching" click here.