Humpback Whale Season in Puerto Vallarta

If you are vacationing in Puerto Vallarta now, you may have been lucky enough to have caught a glimpse of humpback whales swimming through our bay. 

Every year, December through March, these majestic creatures visit the Pacific waters of Banderas Bay on their annual migratory path. Huge and friendly, often accompanied by their playful babies, they are some of our most welcome visitors.  Here are a few fun facts about humpback whales: 

1. The females are bigger than males! In length, females reach 15 to 16 meters in length (49 to 52 feet), while the males only grow to about 13 to 14 meters long. 

2. An adult humpback whale weigh about 30 000 kilos on average – that’s over 66 000 pounds! 

3. On average, humpback whales live to be 45 or 50 years old. 

4. They like to feed in polar waters, fattening up in the summer on a fish-based diet, but prefer to spend the winters in our tropical waters to have their babies and play. 

5. And playful they are! They are best friends with dolphins and will often swim and jump together. 

Humpback whales are mammals, meaning that they need to come to the surface to get air, pushing water out high in the air as they exhale, before breathing back in and diving back down, often waving a fin or a tail on the way. Catching a glimpse of these amazing creatures is sure to be a high point of your Puerto Vallarta vacation. 

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