450 Children, 23 Whales and Thousands of Smiles

While most visitors to the Puerto Vallarta area have heard of Vallarta Adventures, the majority never know that one of the tour company’s main objectives besides giving back to the ambient world around them is to continually work directly with local social programs and services for the less fortunate.

On Sunday, January 31^st, Vallarta Adventures invited 450 children from Puerto Vallarta, Banderas Bay and Tepic, Nayarit to join them on a Humpback Whale Watching Adventure. The young guests came from various backgrounds; children’s homes, boarding schools, assisted living homes and children’s shelters, many with physical or emotional challenges.

In the morning you could feel the energy as the children from Tepic arrived on the buses that Vallarta Adventures arranged to transport them to their adventure. Many of the children had never been on a boat before let alone had the enormous pleasure of going out on the ocean to see observe the Humpback Whales, dolphins and other marine life.

The children excitedly boarded the catamarans and their voyage began with the staff presenting an educational program about the visiting whales and the importance of the protection and conservation of the inhabitants of the bay. The children participated by asking questions, intently listening and expressing amazing interest about the marine life and environment. As they toured the bay, they enjoyed lunch and juice as they were greeted by many whales and their offspring, dolphins, sea turtles and birds.

The children all expressed they had an unforgettable day and the true testament at the end of their adventure was the giant smiles that adorned their beautiful faces.

Participating Organizations:

Refugio Infantil “Santa Esperanza”

“Manos de Amor por Bahía”

“Arturo y los Hijos de Dios”

Casa Hogar “Agape”

“New Life Mexico”

“Children of the Dump”

“Pitillal busca un Amigo”

Asociación “Down”

Grupo CANICA (Centro de Atención de Niños con Cáncer)

DIF Bahía de Banderas

DIF Nayarit

Casa Infantil “Mojoneras”

Casa de Niños “Frank González”, Tepic, Nayarit

Casa “Nana”, Tepic, Nayarit

Internado “Juan Escutia”, Tepic, Nayarit

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Mother and Baby Whales Rescued Off Coast of Puerto Vallarta

What started out as a normal morning of whale watching out on the Bay of Banderas turned into a rescue mission to release two whales entangled in an illegal fishing net.

Around 11:00 AM, on January 28th, 2010, a tour boat spotted a humpback whale and her calf appearing to struggle and behave abnormally on the top of the ocean’s surface. After approaching the whales cautiously, the boat crew confirmed that the whales were indeed entangled in a giant fishing net and would need to be rescued.
Vallarta Adventures, an eco-tour provider in Puerto Vallarta, heard the radio call about the distressed whales and their team of Marine Animal Rescue staff immediately sprang into action to assist in the rescue and recovery of the trapped whales.

Enroute, the Vallarta Adventure’s team met up with the Mexican Navy, where Lieutenant Luis Vidal boarded the Vallarta Adventures’ boat to assist in liberating the pair. Once they reached the distressed whales they were able to asses that the mother was entangled from tip to tail in the illegal fishing net and that her calf was also becoming entangled as it swam closer to its mother.

With all hands and arms into the water at once, everyone began grabbing lines and cutting them and the ropes and buoys that encompassed the pair. Once the whales started to get free, they began to move about which made the effort to free them more difficult and dangerous.

With persistence and quick action, the staff and Naval officer quickly removed the offending net from the whales and within an hour, the pair was safe and free, gloriously swimming off into the Bay.

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Humpback Whale Watching

Most people do not have the opportunity to observe Humpback whales in the wild, so not only is this one of the most unique things to do on the Bay of Banderas, it is also eco-friendly, educational and absolutely breathtaking.

The unique opportunity to observe these marvelous marine mammals in their natural habitat not only increases public awareness and appreciation of wildlife but exists only in a few places in the world such as the Bay of Banderas.

If you have ever dreamed of experiencing the thrill of seeing whales and wild dolphins first hand, you won’t want to miss Vallarta Adventures exhilarating and eco-friendly whale watching tours.

Do not miss out as  the whales are only in town from mid-December to late March of each year. Make your reservations in advance as this is one excursion that sells out early and you do not want to miss this 0ne!

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