Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), illustration

Protected Eschrichtius robustus

Gray whale in Los Cabos

Every winter, gray whales travel about 16,000 km round trip to give birth in the lagoons of Baja California Sur. Some pass Cabo on the way, and a few have crossed half the planet.

Up to 15 mLength

~41 tonsWeight

~16,000 kmRound-trip migration

17,750Population, 2025/26

When to see them

Jan●Feb●●Mar●Apr·May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec·

●● best months · ● regular · · occasional. Based on scientific studies and local reports; it changes year to year.

Tap a month to see everything biting in Cabo that month ›

How to recognize it

Mottled gray, covered in white and orange patches of barnacles and whale lice. It has no dorsal fin: instead there's a low hump and a row of 6 to 12 "knuckles" along the back. Its blow is low and often heart-shaped.

Biology

Gray whales feed in the Arctic in summer and migrate to Baja California Sur in winter. Calves are born from early January to mid-February in Laguna Ojo de Liebre, Laguna San Ignacio and Bahía Magdalena, and the whales head north again from mid-February to May. UNESCO calls the Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaíno the world's most important place for their reproduction.

They're mainly bottom feeders: they roll on their side, suck up sediment from the seafloor and filter out small crustaceans through 130 to 180 baleen plates on each side of the jaw. A calf is born 4.3 to 4.9 m long and about 900 kg.

Things you probably didn't know

The first friendly whale

In February 1972, fisherman Francisco "Pachico" Mayoral touched a gray whale in Laguna San Ignacio: the first documented friendly encounter. Today mothers and calves often approach the boats there on their own.

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22,511 km in 172 days

A western gray whale named Varvara swam from Sakhalin, Russia, to Baja and back, visiting all three Baja breeding areas. The researchers called it the longest documented mammal migration.

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A gray whale in Namibia

In 2013 a gray whale appeared in Walvis Bay, Namibia, the first ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, after a trip of at least 20,000 km.

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Carrying 180 kg of passengers

A gray whale can carry more than 180 kg of barnacles and whale lice; most of its white patches are those hitchhikers.

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The "devil fish"

Whalers called them devil fish for how violently they fought back when harpooned.

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A population in trouble

Between 2019 and 2023, 690 gray whales stranded dead, 316 of them in Mexico, mostly from malnutrition linked to changes in their Arctic feeding grounds. The population fell about 40%.

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Photos

Gray whale, photo 1 (Boca del Surgidero, Mulegé) — iNaturalist contributor · iNaturalist · CC0

Gray whale, photo 2 (23940 Guerrero Negro, B.C.S.) — José Francisco Colorado-Dapa · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Gray whale, photo 3 (Mulegé Municipality, BCS) — iNaturalist contributor · iNaturalist · CC0

Gray whale, photo 4 (Bocana Ojo de Liebre, MX) — iNaturalist contributor · iNaturalist · CC0

Gray whale, photo 5 (Comondú, MX-BS) — iNaturalist contributor · iNaturalist · CC0

Gray whale, photo 6 (Pacific Ocean, MX) — Clifton Ladd, C.W.B. · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Seeing them from the boat

Local reports describe gray whales passing Cabo from mid-December to April, most often between January and March and on the Pacific side, on their way to and from the lagoons farther north.

The best place to see them up close is the lagoons themselves, with authorized local guides. Off Cabo, the same rules apply as for any whale: slow down, keep your distance and never chase.

Rules & conservation

Closest approach (NOM-131)	60 m for boats under 10 m, 80 m for larger boats; 240 m waiting distance for all other boats
Boats per whale or group	4 at most, for 30 minutes at most
Speed near whales	Under 5 knots, under 2 knots inside the watching zone
Not allowed	Fishing, swimming, diving, chasing, splitting up groups, getting between mother and calf
Lagoon season (Ojo de Liebre, San Ignacio)	December 15 – April 30
Mexico (NOM-059)	Subject to special protection (Pr)
El Vizcaíno	Biosphere reserve (1988) and UNESCO World Heritage Site (1993)

Don't confuse it with

The humpback is mostly black, has very long pectoral fins and a small dorsal fin, and lifts a tail with a black-and-white pattern underneath.

Questions

Can you see gray whales in Cabo San Lucas?

Yes, mostly from January to March as they pass on the Pacific side, according to local reports. The lagoons farther north are where they gather.

Where can you touch a gray whale?

In Laguna San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre, curious mothers and calves often approach the authorized boats on their own.

Are gray whales endangered?

The eastern population was taken off the U.S. endangered list in 1994, but it dropped about 40% between 2019 and 2023. In Mexico it's subject to special protection.