Whale season in Los Cabos: dates, species, and what you will actually see
Whale season in Los Cabos runs from December to April. Gray whales and humpback whales travel thousands of miles from the North Pacific to the warm, protected waters of the Sea of Cortés to breed and calve, and for those five months the corridor between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas becomes one of the most reliable places on earth to see them.
Otaduy has run private charters in these waters every season since 2003. What follows is what two decades on the water have taught us about when to come, what you will see, and how a sighting unfolds from the deck of a private yacht.
Month by month
December. The first humpbacks arrive early in the month and numbers build by the week. By the holidays, sightings along the corridor are a near daily event. December pairs whale activity with the calmest, clearest winter water.
January. Peak season begins. Humpbacks are active and demonstrative: breaching, tail slapping, and fin waving are common, and gray whales are moving along the coast toward the calving lagoons further north on the Baja peninsula.
February. The heart of the season. This is the month we tell guests to choose if whales are the reason for the trip. Mothers with young calves appear in the calmer bays, and on some charters the engines go quiet while a curious humpback decides to take a closer look at the boat.
March. Activity remains strong through the month. Calves born in the early season are larger and more playful, and sightings regularly happen within the first hour of leaving the coast.
April. The tail end. Whales begin the long migration north, and sightings taper week by week. Early April is still dependable; by the end of the month the season closes.
May through November. The great winter migration is over, but the Sea of Cortés is never empty. Dolphins, mobula rays, sea lions, and seasonal visitors keep the water interesting year round.
What seeing whales from a private yacht is like
On a private charter there is no schedule shared with forty strangers and no racing between sightings. When whales appear, your captain positions the yacht at a respectful distance, cuts to an idle, and the encounter lasts as long as the whales decide it should. Every charter during the season effectively doubles as a whale watching trip: the corridor route to the Arch passes directly through the waters the whales favor, so most December to April charters see whales without changing course.
All Otaduy yachts sail with their own captain and crew, and viewing follows the responsible distance practices that protect the animals and keep encounters calm. For groups that want the quietest possible platform, Telemachus, our crewed sailing catamaran, can watch under sail.
Planning a whale season charter
Whale season overlaps with the busiest months in Los Cabos, and the fleet runs a limited number of charters each week by design. December through March dates, especially around the holidays, are the first to go, so we recommend confirming your date as early as your travel plans allow. Availability and exact pricing for your date are confirmed on WhatsApp, usually within the hour, and current from prices for every yacht are on the charter prices page.