The bougie way to whale watch (and snorkel) in Cabo
Steve MacNaull
It’s apropos that Surfaces’ 2019 hit ‘Sunday Best’ is blaring over the sailboat’s stereo when we spot the first whale. Come on, sing along: Hey, feeling good, like I should/ Feeling blessed, never stressed/ Got that sunshine on my Sunday best.
It perfectly encapsulates the vibe aboard Cabo Sailing’s crisp, white, 42-foot Hunter Synergy sailboat as it slices through the waters where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez just outside Cabo San Lucas Marina at the very southern tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Humpback whales and their adorable, not-so-little babies have become Cabo’s unofficial mascot.
The moms come to Cabo’s warm waters in the winter to give birth and stick around for a while for the babies to put on weight. By the way, the calves drink 100 pounds of milk a day. They also playfully put on shows by peeking their knobbly heads out of the sea, full-body breaching, flapping their pectoral fins and tail flukes, snorting air out their blowholes and vocalizing with their aqueous songs.
Image of the tail fluke is on virtually every other necklace, bracelet and t-shirt sold at every market stall, souvenir shop, and store in Cabo. As such, tourists clamour to go whale watching.
But rather than booking panga boat trips – the small, no-frills, open skiffs stuffed with hordes of life-jacket-wearing, cellphone-toting vacationers – Cabo Sailing offers a sophisticated alternative. Here clients will find themselves on that aforementioned sleek and luxurious sailboat with just 12 whale watchers at a time aboard. The price for a three-hour, combined snorkelling and whale watching excursion is a reasonable US$120 per person – with US$20 commission for travel advisors who book for their clients.
Cabo Sailing also has other posh sailboats and yachts for private three-hour charters that start at US$825 with US$165 commission for travel agents.
Meantime, on the shared, public outing we’re on, we’re gliding through Cabo San Lucas Bay, perched on the bow enjoying the sun, scenery and chatter with our fellow passengers – a couple from Spain and a pair from Los Angeles. First stop is Pelican Rock to snorkel. The water is calm and the colourful tropical fish are plentiful — angels, snapper, sturgeon, needlefish and pompano.
Ironically, when we flipper up close to Pelican Rock there are no pelicans, but there are three lazy sea lions sunbathing and a bunch of seagulls squawking.
Back on the sailboat after a freshwater shower on the stern, lunch is served by deckhand, guide, bartender and waiter Javier Jr. – a platter per couple of tortilla chips with handmade salsa and guacamole, smoked turkey baguette sandwiches and fresh-cut fruit.
Oh, yes, we opt for the sailboat margarita, complete with salted rim, but there’s also beer, wine, other cocktails, and, of course, water.
We cruise by Land’s End with its famous Arch rock formation and the secluded Lover’s Beach for photo opportunities, and then move into more open waters. This is when whale watching starts in earnest.
And, it doesn’t take long before we see the first knobbly head surface, then the tail flukes, followed by a ballet of whale action, including some half, full and backward breaches. In all we saw more than a dozen whales, mostly mom-and-baby duos.
Sailing back to the marina, we sunbathe more on the bow, hum Sunday Best and count ourselves lucky to have this Baja bucket-list experience.
Check out: www.cabosailing.com.
