Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), illustration

Protected Megaptera novaeangliae

Humpback whale in Los Cabos

Every winter, humpbacks swim south from as far as Alaska to mate and give birth off the tip of the Baja peninsula. From December to April they breach, slap their tails and sing within sight of Land's End.

Up to 60 ftLength

Up to 40 tonsWeight

80–90 yearsLifespan

Dec 15 – Apr 30Watching season 2025–26, Los Cabos

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

Mostly black, with very long pectoral fins (often white underneath), knobs on the head and a small dorsal fin on a hump. Before a deep dive it lifts its tail, and the black-and-white pattern under the tail is unique to each whale.

Biology

Mexico has three main winter gatherings of humpbacks in the Pacific: along the Pacific coast of the Baja peninsula, from Isla Cedros south to Los Cabos; on the mainland coast, from Sinaloa to Bahía de Banderas; and around the Revillagigedo Islands. A 2004 count estimated about 5,900 humpbacks in the Mexican Pacific, roughly 2,450 of them around Baja.

Humpbacks feed in cold, rich water in summer and travel to warm water in winter to mate and calve. The whales that winter in Mexico feed from California all the way to the Aleutian Islands. A calf is born after an 11-month pregnancy, already 13 to 16 ft (4 to 5 m) long. Humpbacks are filter feeders: they eat krill and small schooling fish.

Things you probably didn't know

Alaska to Cabo

The humpbacks that spend the winter in Mexico feed in summer anywhere from California to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.

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Born 4 to 5 meters long

After an 11-month pregnancy, a humpback calf is born already 13 to 16 ft long.

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Three winter homes in Mexico

Mexico's Pacific humpbacks gather in three areas: southern Baja, the mainland coast from Sinaloa to Bahía de Banderas, and the Revillagigedo Islands.

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A tail like a fingerprint

The pattern under each humpback's tail is unique, which is how researchers follow individual whales for decades.

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Entanglement is the biggest threat

In a study of 368 tail photos from Mexico, about 42% of the whales showed a high probability of having been entangled in fishing gear.

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Two populations, two statuses

Under U.S. law, the humpbacks that winter in Mexico are listed as threatened; those that winter in Central America, as endangered.

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Photos

Humpback whale, photo 1 (Los Cabos, MX-BS) — Juan Cruzado Cortés · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Humpback whale, photo 2 (Los Cabos, Baja California Sur) — Bill Levine · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Humpback whale, photo 3 (Los Cabos, MX-BS) — iNaturalist contributor · iNaturalist · CC0

Humpback whale, photo 4 (Los Cabos, Baja California Sur) — Bill Levine · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Humpback whale, photo 5 (Cabo San Lucas, BCS) — Bill Levine · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Humpback whale, photo 6 (Los Cabos, Baja California Sur) — Eric Lamb · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Seeing them from the boat

From December to April, humpbacks use the same waters off Land's End and along both coasts where we fish, and they can often be seen from boats heading out of Cabo. Breaches, tail slaps and the tail lifted before a deep dive are the moments to watch for; males also sing long, complex songs in winter.

A fishing charter is not a whale-watching tour, so our captains slow down, keep their distance and never chase or surround a whale.

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
Mexico (NOM-059)	Subject to special protection (Pr)

If you see an entangled whale, keep your distance and report it; don't try to free it yourself.

Don't confuse it with

The gray whale is mottled gray, has no dorsal fin (just a hump and a row of knuckles) and is covered in barnacles.

Questions

When is humpback whale season in Cabo San Lucas?

SEMARNAT sets the official whale-watching season each year; for 2025–26 it runs in Los Cabos from December 15 to April 30. Humpbacks are most abundant from January to March.