An incredible whale season
What an unforgettable humpback whale season this winter was! From breathtaking breaches to powerful pec slaps and the tender moments of mothers caring for their calves, this has truly been our most whale-filled year yet.
Some days, we counted at least 20 different whales, spouts visible on the horizon. Whales everywhere we looked. One day in December, we even got to see 7 or 8 whales together, a truly amazing sight, all these giants together, just hearing their powerful breaths around us was unforgettable.
A humpback whale breaches close to shore in La Ventana, BCS, México
So why the surge in sightings? As you have probably felt, this winter, water temperatures have been a couple of degrees warmer, right within their preferred range. These slightly warmer conditions likely make the area even more attractive for resting, socializing, and nurturing their young. So, this could explain why this year has been particularly good for humpback sightings.
Things like this remind us how dynamic and connected our oceans truly are: these whales are coming from a long journey from their summer feeding grounds up north and will start their migration again soon. Having these gentle giants just at our doorstep will never cease to amaze me.
But the most unforgettable encounter was something truly special…A newborn humpback! He was tiny, very light gray in color, and still a bit wobbly. He was staying really close to mum and trying to coordinate his body in his first hours of life. Coming up to breathe, we could see how clumsy his moves still were. They were accompanied by an escort, who is a male that stays with humpback mums. Soon, we started hearing whale vocalizations all around us. From the boat, we could hear the sounds clearly, even feeling the vibrations through the hull. Who knows what they were saying to each other!
Newborn humpback takes its first breaths next to Cerralvo Island, BCS, México
I feel this is a big reminder of what a special place this is: a humpback, born just in front of our town, is now out there in the world. We hope they have a safe migration north and that we might get to see this baby come back in the years to come!
Newborn humpback whale swims next to its mum during the firs hour of its life.
To learn more about the individuals we’re seeing, we’ve been submitting fluke photos to Happy Whale to contribute to their catalogue, so that we can learn more about all these whales’ life stories! By matching tail patterns, researchers can track their movements across oceans and uncover incredible migration stories. We can’t wait to discover where “our” whales have traveled and what journeys lie ahead for them! We might get to see some of them coming back our way next winter!
If you have any whale fluke photos, you can also be part of science! It´s really easy: you just need to create a user and start uploading your photos to Happy Whale! You can help to unveil the routes humpback whales follow with just a photo. How cool is that?
We love to see these gentle giants each season, seeing them breach, care for their young, discover the world, hear their songs…Such special creatures! Every winter, we wait for the first ones´arrival and cherish every minute we spend with them.
