Hola, yatistas! After a brief pause to complete “Mexico Boating Guide” for this 2025 cruising season, I’m back with The Log’s Mexico Report column on a quarterly basis. Thanks for checking in here to get all the news and views that recreational boaters can use, whether for planning or adventuring down here in Baja, the Sea of Cortez and mainland Mexico.
Want to Pet Baja’s Baby Whales?
Baja’s 2025 whale-watching season just started, and the best time to view the new babies (and maybe even pet one) is usually from mid February through late March. Buy a “Conservation Passport” in Ensenada for each person aboard who wants to enter the whale park.
The vortex of whale watching is Laguna San Ignacio National Park, which is a Gray Whale Refuge and UNESCO World Heritage Site located about 120 n.m. down the coast from Turtle Bay. Yachts cannot enter the whale refuge; they anchor off the east side of Punta Abreojos village and hail “Whale Park Guide” on VHF 16 and 22.
To prevent stressing the new mother whales and their babies, only a limited number of ranger pangas with visitors are allowed into the refuge during each half day. So decide in advance and tell your park ranger if you want a morning or afternoon visit inside. (Hint, morning is usually calmer, less bouncy ride.)
“We missed our chance to visit the whales the first morning we arrived at Abreojos,” said Joyce H., “so we waited for the next morning and were glad we did.” She suggests wearing closed shoes for boarding the ranger panga in the open anchorage. Pack windbreakers, drinking water and zip bags for cameras, binoculars. It’s a fast 15-mile ride to the park entrance
Park rangers are trained as naturalists, but they’re also law enforcement officials who coordinate by radio with rangers on the northern entrance. They track the number of whales and human visitors within the park hour by hour. You’ll immediately see adult whales cavorting and mating in the deeper south half of the lagoon, or training yearlings. “Ahoy!” is called out when spouts are seen. Look for spy-hopping, fluke flapping and tail slapping.
The shallower north half is where pregnant gray mothers hang out and are giving birth and suckling their newborn calves. Unlike elsewhere on earth, some whales here grow trusting of the ranger pangas full of humans. They may slowly swim close enough to give them an “eye ball.” If your ranger gives permission, one at a time you might gently touch the whale. Some mammas may even lift their calf up to be petted – what an honor.
After your half-day tour is completed, you may exit the park if other visitors are waiting to enter. On a light day, the ranger may let you stay longer.
If you missed a stop at Laguna San Ignacio whale park on your way down Baja, consider stopping on your way back, when boaters usually are bashing northbound. Bahia Asuncion makes a nice alternative to waiting at Abreojos.
“Barra Cruise-In Week” is Feb 8 – 16
Sponsored by Vallarta Yacht Club, Barra Cruise-In Week is an annual event that all boaters are invited to celebrate by cruising (in company or solo) from the Puerto Vallarta area down to the beautiful destination of Barra de Navidad, poke around the bay and cruise back up. That’s an easy 130 n.m. cruise each way, even offering some nice little stops along the way.
Barra Cruise-In is a great week of fun activities and regattas, and a pleasant way to raise much needed funds for local schools. Expect guest musicians and two popular musical cruises within the bay and lagoons. Mexican Fiesta, Flamingo Regatta and the Flamingo Money Race (donations) will be pooled and shared between the six Barra schools and the public library, all valuable community resources that support learning.
However, organizers warn that registration is required to get a discounted slip at Marina Isla Navidad – or even a slip at all. Because boaters participating in the previous week’s sportfishing tournament may opt to keep their marina slips longer, Cruise In boaters might opt to drop the hook and anchor instead, either inside the two sheltered lagoons or over in the Melaque end of Barra de Navidad Bay. Or they may opt to drive down on Route 200, a 4-hour jaunt with rest stops, then book any of Barra’s nice seaside hotels.
To sign up for Barra Cruise-In Week or to get more information, visit https://www.vallartayachtclub.org/barra Contact the harbormaster of Marina Isla Navidad at +52 314.337.9014 or [email protected] and copy [email protected]
Z-What?
By the way, this year the larger annual Zihuatanejo Sail Fest runs February 9 – 22, but not a lot of conflict or overlap is likely to occur. That’s because Zihuatanejo lies about 200 n.m. further down the Mexican mainland’s legendary Gold Coast cruising ground. Z-Fest as it’s also known is more popular with the longer range Panama Posse participants, dozens of whom had amassed at Barra de Navidad during December. Then after rounds of seminars, they started cruising southeast, either independently or in small buddy-boat groups, heading down to the Panama Canal, planning to arrive before the next hurricane season begins. Z-Fest is almost a required stop for the fast charging Panama Posse boats. FMI on Z-Fest, visit https://www.zihuatanejo-sailfest.com/
Omen of the Oarfish beached at Cabo San Lucas
Does this predict an earthquake? Posted by Jason Hite, this photo shows a deep-sea Oarfish (Regalecidae Actinopterygii) that washed up on a beach January 17 near Cabo San Lusas. They can range in length from 26 to 56 feet.
Superstitions say the appearance of an oarfish (also called the Doomsday Fish) signals that a potentially strong earthquake will soon occur nearby, however no scientific study has so far proved that correlation.
The Oarfish’s natural habitat is deep ocean bottoms, as deep as 3,300 feet below sea level, where they move gently by undulating their feathery spinal fins. At those cold dark depths, they simultaneously reside near natural rifts and earthquake faults in the sea floor – where perhaps earth tremors may be felt. That would pretty well describe the sea bottom around Cabo San Lucas, also known as Land’s End, complete with 3,000’ depths and active sand falls that attract scuba divers.
Why do we boaters seldom lay eyes on Oarfish? Scientists surmise that sick, injured or dying Oarfish might naturally migrate into shallower waters, where their gelatinous or non muscular bodies are easily bashed around and buffeted by stronger currents that eventually wash them up on adjacent beaches.
Do you think there’s any truth to the omen of the Oarfish? See you back here in April.
