Discover the Thrill: Sea of Cortez Whale Watching & Orcas Await
The Sea of Cortez is an amazing place for whale watching.
Different seasons, different seas. Generally, from January to July is the peak season for whale encounters in the Sea of Cortez. It’s easy to spot many different species, including the largest whales in the oceans, blue whales, finbacks, humpback mommas and calves, Bryde’s whales, enormous pods of playful dolphins, and more.
Our Cessna 182 spotter airplane and crew are on patrol 4 or 5 days a week. These “eyes in the sky” give us an enormous advantage in finding groups of resident sperm whales and transient pods of orcas.
Orcas, also known as Killer Whales, but are they true whales? Or, actually, giant dolphins? If you’re unsure, we’ve answered this question in another blog: ‘Are Killer Whales Dolphins?’
We have probably had a thousand or more encounters with orcas over the years. From the chilly waters of Alaska to seeing super pods of hundreds of killer whales off Vancouver Island, to both resident and transient orcas in the inside waters of British Columbia.
But it’s only in the Sea of Cortez that the incredibly impressive orcas choose to interact with us.
The scientists tell us that these are likely orcas that roam the waters from Costa Rica to California. But personally, knowing how friendly we all are in Mexico, we are certain that these are Mexican Orcas.
See below for what our guests experienced yesterday:
I didn’t realize that being on a RHiB in the middle of a spontaneous orca-dolphin hunt was on my bucket list until it happened, nearly within arms length. Breathtaking, like nothing I’ve ever seen or experienced before.
Lisa Farling North Carolina
Today started off well enough with an early Blue Whale sighting and a pod of Common Dolphins…then nothing for a bit until we spotted a killer whale from the flying bridge.
Little did we know we were about to spend the next 3 1/2 hours as close as you could possibly hope to come to a pod of 7 Orcas, including one calf.
Over that time we were rarely out of sight of the pod and numerous times they swam immediately alongside and under the Rhib!
I had a GoPro along and I was able to get amazing footage from just sticking the camera in the water from the side of the boat.
In my wildest dreams I could ever have hoped to be this close to a Killer Whale and have an experience like this!
-Brett Hopkins
Wow. Another great experience. On the way south towards La Paz we came by a pod of seven orcas spread out in the area of calm water. Quickly we got into the RHIB boat and sailed closer to the orcas. Then the orcas started to hunt a dolphin which resulted in a lot of activity at the surface. The dolphin tried to escape under the RHIB boat, which led the orcas to get close to the boat, under the boat and circling the boat several times.
I’ve seen orcas many times in British Columbia, Iceland, Spain, Norway and California, but this encounter today was the best I’ve ever experienced. It was fantastic! Incredible!Thanks to the staff for getting the RHIB boat ready in no time and for sailing responsible around the orcas.
They gave me once again the experience of a lifetime.-Morten Asgaard From Denmark
Start your own adventure in the Sea of Cortez and enjoy a Whale Watching like no other!
Dive into the depths of excitement, where encounters with the incredible marine life await. Witness orcas and other magnificent creatures up close. Now is the time to seize the moment for an unforgettable experience! Trust me, it will leave you wondering why you hadn’t done it sooner.
Captain Mike Lever, CEO Nautilus Liveaboards
