Loreto Blue Whale Watching

Loreto Mexico is known for whale watching. It is also known for its roughly 800 square miles of Loreto Bay National Park (Bahía de Loreto National Park) in the Sea of Cortez. This became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Additionally, the marine park is home to five islands – Coronado, Carmen, Danzante, Montserrat, and Santa Catalina.

Loreto Blue Whale Watching

Each winter (January-March) blue whales come very close to the shores and islands of Loreto to feed and have their babies. We were booked to see the blue whales. After corresponding, prior to the trip via emails and what’s app, we finally met at the Guaycura Adventures storefront. Lezley was warm and inviting and told us everything we needed to know about our trip the following day. She reminded us to wear a hat and told us that it would be chilly early in the morning.

Guaycura Adventures

Husband and wife team Lezley and Argenis own Guaycura Adventures. They have a sweet love story and have created a beautiful family in addition to a wonderful life here in Loreto. Born in Mexico City, Lezley told me she moved to “The Baja” (as she called it) twenty years ago. She met Argenis, got married then started Guaycura Adventures in 2018. She adores living in Loreto and loves running tours. Lezley maintains the office, books the trips, meets all her customers at the lighthouse and leads them down the dock. This is where she entrusts them to her capable husband – Captain Argenis. Meeting them and watching how they dealt with people, I could tell how much pride they take in their business. They are both hard workers with lots of passion. Of course, they have additional captains to accommodate numerous tours at one time when needed.

Early Morning Whale Watch

Lezley told us to meet her at the lighthouse tower the morning of our tour, and there she was bright and early, organizing everyone for the various boats she had going out that day. She led our group down to the dock to a panga. As soon as we boarded the boat I grabbed a comfy seat with a backrest right across from Captain Argenis. I had a lot fun practicing my Spanish with him.

While I was armed with my iPhone, my husband the photographer, grabbed a seat up front towards the bow. He brought so many cameras, that he needed to spread them all out to prepare for whatever might happen. Blue whales are gigantic. Regulations prevent you from getting really close, but the whales are ultimately in charge. Richard had specific equipment with him just in case one surfaced next to the boat.

Whales in Loreto

Before we even left the marina, we saw a bunch of very handsome pelicans. They were so colorful compared to the ones back home! Then immediately after leaving the marina we saw several pangas off in the distance. Sooner than expected, we started to see blue whales. Captain Argenis alerted us whenever a whale blow would happen. Soon we all recognized the sound, and it was quite exciting. He explained that hearing or seeing a blow meant the mammal’s back would emerge from the water. Their backs were so large, that they looked like tiny islands.

Finding the Blue Whales

There was a bag lunch with two burritos and a snack, as well as water and beer that came with our tour. Of course, while we snacked several whales appeared. So, we kept jamming our burritos back into their bag, as we scrambled for our iPhones and cameras. Seeing even one blue whale is really lucky back in California. In Loreto during February, multiple sightings like we had are actually quite common. At one point during the day, we saw two blue whales surface unbelievably close to a boat.

Best Day of Whale Watching

It was a really fun day. It was so fun in fact, that we scheduled a different tour to Coronado Island with the same company two days later. Stay tuned for that article. I must say, taking a tour with Guaycura Adventures felt like Lezley and Captain Argenis welcomed us into their family. And I love supporting local family businesses. Find out more on https://www.guaycura-adventures.com/

Read about Loreto Mexico, A Pueblo Mágico article or visit the ETG Mexico Page.