Mexico - Whale Watching and Day Drinking

Puerto Vallarta

The ship docked at the port while it was still dark, and we got to watch a beautiful moonset and sunrise over the mountains of Puerto Vallarta. We happened to arrive during the peak season for humpback whale watching, which we were pretty excited about. We booked a whale watching tour independent from MSC because I thought it would be more enjoyable to be on a small boat compared to a big one with fifty people. A marine biologist took us around Puerto Vallarta Bay, also known as Bay of Banderas (flags). There were only 4 other people on our boat with us so we got to ask all the questions we could think of, which between the two of us, was a lot. 

She was an expert at spotting whales and dolphins and could even time down to the second when they were about to break the surface for air. “Three, two, one, breach.” She was right 9 out of 10 times. We spent about five hours whale spotting and saw 11 whales, 4 dolphins, and a poisonous sea snake. She showed us how to look for the spouts on the horizon and make a trajectory of where they would surface next based on the angle of their tale which indicates how deep they’re diving. We watched a playful baby flop around on the surface and try to get its momma to join in on the splashing around. And we saw 4 males racing and showing off for the females around. We were hoping to see a few jump out of the water, but she explained how they usually conserve energy during day so we weren’t as likely to see that behavior. Being a marine biologist she was concerned about the welfare of the whales so she strictly adhered to the rule of keeping a distance of 50 meters. There are whale “police” who monitor how close boats get to the whales. A marine consortium in the Puerto Vallarta area recognizes the importance of the area for the whales, and they don’t want to scare off the whales from their breeding ground/baby rearing area. She even called the Whale Five-O about a boat that was getting a little too cozy. She also turned the engine off, dropped a microphone 12 meters below the surface and recorded the sounds of the whales. She played it for us over some speakers on the boat and we listened to the alien noises and wondered what they were communicating about. As we listened to the whales clicking and talking in a foreign language, we picnic-ed on the bow of the boat. Our guide/biologist made us dolphin shaped sugar cookies that were pretty cute. She also taught us the Spanish word for whale, ballenas, which comes from the name of their “teeth” that they use to filter krill which is baleen. 

This was our first excursion outside MSC, and we loved it. It was peaceful to be with such a small group, and it was fascinating to be in the company of a scientist who knows an amazing amount about these animals. After whale watching we had a few more hours to enjoy the beach before we headed back to the ship. As we were pulling out of Puerto Vallarta Bay we saw about 8 whales breach and jump clear out of the water, they were really putting on a show for our goodbye! As Captain Marco Massa likes to put it, “I hope you enjoyed the beautiful whales during this beautiful departure from the Bay of Puerto Vallarta and the beautiful sunset on our port side.” And we certainly did!  

Cabo San Lucas 

Many of our days are spent running around trying to cram in a lot of sights, and it leaves us a exhausted sometimes. We decided that since we’d both been to Cabo a few times, we would take this day to do nothing more than sip margaritas on the beach. It was a day that felt like a vacation should: a beach, a buzz, and a tan. 

This was the first place where we did not pull up to a dock. We anchored about a kilometer off the coast outside of the harbor. They had to pull down a few of the tender boats from the side of the ship. We went in groups of 150 people on the tender boats to shore, and we were dropped off in the harbor. Although it appeared we were close to the beach it was about an hour walk away so we paid a guy to take us in his boat taxi and booked a jet ski through him too. He dropped us off on the beach, and we wanted to jet ski before the water got too rough. We signed our lives away on a waiver, hopped on our borrowed toy, and spun around for an hour of high speed wind-in-your-face fun. We took it out near our ship and waved at people on deck, and we took turns driving and bouncing around with saltwater splashing us in the face. Ashley put her glasses on to shield her eyes and the wind took them right off her face. Luckily we were in a place where you can buy “Ray Bans” for $15 on the beach so we got her a replacement pair right away. 

We ordered nachos and had guacamole that we had been craving. We chatted with some nice people on the beach, and lounged in the sun. I got to take my drone out over the rocks where the Baja Peninsula ends and got some shots of the ship. We were beginning to think the ship had some kind of jammers on board that block signals because Ashley’s cell phone signal disappears when we’re on it or near it. We confirmed it when I flew my drone near the ship and the signal to my remote control completely disappeared. It’s programmed to return to its launch point when it loses signal, and after a few nail biting minutes the signal returned so I could navigate it safely back to me. After that close call it was time for a margarita or two. We rounded out the afternoon with some $20 massages on the beach and had no complaints for the day. 

When we returned to the ship we realized it was Super Bowl Sunday, that’s how far removed we had been from “the real world.” We had to ask somebody who was playing in it. The ship streamed the game via satellite so none of the commercials aired, which was kind of a bummer but it sure made the game go faster! They threw a party for the 60 or so people who showed up to boo at/cheer for Tom Brady. They made “hot wings” which were an interesting concoction of sweet and sour sauce and bbq sauce. They also served hamburgers, French fries, and an American flag cake. We thought it was funny to be watching the Super Bowl from the middle of the ocean in Mexico. We’ll be in our homeland next, a few days through California and Hawaii coming up!