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San José del Cabo Whale Grounds whale watching tours
Waters in the Sea of Cortez off Los Cabos
Open water in the Sea of Cortez off San José del Cabo, a short run from Puerto Los Cabos, where humpback whales pass each winter. It is an area, not a spot: the whales move every day, and a sighting is never certain.
- Grey whales, December to April
- Humpback whales, December to April
Marinas
- Puerto Los Cabos Marina, San José del Cabo
When to see San José del Cabo Whale Grounds
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey whale | Seen | Seen | Seen | Seen | Seen | |||||||
| Humpback whale | Seen | Seen | Seen | Seen | Seen |
The darker mark is the months the source names as best. Months from visitloscabos.travel, sidof.segob.gob.mx.
Near San José del Cabo Whale Grounds
Palmilla Beach
San José del Cabo
The Puerto Los Cabos marina offers state-of-the-art facilities. The city is more tranquil than Cabo San Lucas, known for its art scene, colonial architecture, and nature reserves.
Chileno Bay
Santa Maria Bay
- Fishing
Gordo Banks
Two underwater banks off San José del Cabo, charted as Banco Gorda de Adentro (the Inner Gorda Bank) and Banco Gorda de Afuera (the Outer Gorda Bank). The inner bank rises to about 15 m below the surface, about 9 nautical miles (16 km) east of the San José del Cabo marina and 23 nautical miles (43 km) from Cabo San Lucas. The outer bank lies about 3 nautical miles (5 km) farther out and is deeper, about 62 m at its shallowest. The banks are known for yellowfin tuna, wahoo and marlin, and for bottom fish such as snapper, grouper and amberjack.
Medano Beach
Land's End (The Arch)
Lover's Beach
Maps © OpenStreetMap
About San José del Cabo Whale Grounds
A stretch of water, not a spot
Humpback whales come to the warm water off Los Cabos every winter, and the Sea of Cortez off San José del Cabo is part of it. Boats leaving Puerto Los Cabos Marina reach open water within minutes. The shaded area on our map is an approximation of where a trip from here looks: offshore between the marina and Palmilla, out in the deeper water. It is not a line in law and not a fixed spot. Whales move from one day to the next, and the captain works the water wherever they are showing.
The season
The federal government sets the whale-watching dates each year. For the 2025-26 season it set December 15, 2025 to April 30, 2026 for the Los Cabos whale-watching areas, San José del Cabo among the places the notice names. Humpbacks are the whales seen most often here, and gray whales and dolphins are seen in the Los Cabos season too. They are wild animals, so no trip can promise a whale, and some mornings pass without one.
The rules on the water
Mexico's whale-watching standard, NOM-131-SEMARNAT-2010, keeps a boat longer than 10 metres at least 80 metres from a humpback or a gray whale and 120 metres from a blue or fin whale. No more than four boats may stay with one group, for at most 30 minutes, and no one may swim with the whales. Only boats with a SEMARNAT authorisation may run whale-watching trips. Further up the coast, the water within 3.5 km of shore off Cabo Pulmo and Los Frailes is closed to whale watching.
Getting out by boat
Puerto Los Cabos Marina, at the San José del Cabo end of the coast, saves the drive to Cabo San Lucas for anyone staying in San José or along the eastern hotel coast. On a yacht of your own, how long you spend with the whales is yours to set inside the rules, and the morning can end at anchor off Palmilla for a swim. We'll confirm the plan and the boarding point when you book.
What to bring
A light jacket for the cool mornings, a hat, sun cover, and binoculars or a camera with a long lens. Mornings are usually the calmest time on open water.