Humpback Whales in Puerto Vallarta

The day after Cari and John's wedding, we took a trip out of the resort onto Banderas Bay to do some snorkeling and hopefully to see some whales. We went on a similar trip almost a year ago in Hawaii and liked the trip but were a little disappointed that we didn't see many whales. This trip turned out to be much more satisfying in so many ways.

We sailed from the marina to the Marietas Islands all the while keeping our eyes open for whales on the voyage. It wasn't long before we saw several groups of whales surfacing for air, spouting water and fluking.

At the end of a very eventful morning, we arrived at the Marietas Islands. After some snorkeling, exploring the isolated beaches and having a fresh lunch on the sailboat, we began our trip back to the marina. In between the bottomless margaritas, tequila sunrises, pina coladas, etc., we kept our eyes peeled for more whales. Finally we saw what Roxi and I had been waiting for since we first saw humpbacks in Hawaii earlier in the year: a whale breach! It was preceded and followed by several whales swimming along the surface and slapping the water with their fins.

We really couldn't have asked for much more out of the trip. We saw more than I had hoped to see and had a great time in the process. Hopefully the videos show the majesty and grace of these enormous creatures.