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Responsible Whale Watching Tours &
Kite Aerial Photography in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

“One of the most responsible tour operators in Puerto Vallarta.”
~The Puerto Vallarta Whale Watching Forum

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Responsible Whale Watching Tours
in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico


2-OF-WEBJoin us in a respectful encounter with the Humpback whales, dolphins and other marine creatures that call Banderas Bay home through a unique adventure led by a marine scientist and specialized bilingual crew. The official and legal whale watching season runs from December 8, 2009 - March 23, 2010. By booking with Ocean Friendly Tours your money contributes to important research projects related to the protection and survival of the Humpback whale, The Fluke Identification Program and the Kite Aerial Photography Research Project. We thank you in advance for your support of this important work.

sm-boat-webDiscover the marvels of the whale world onboard our customized fiberglass boats and listen to their tonal songs with our hydrophone and speaker system.

Schedule: Our regular tour departs at 9:00 am and we meet at 8:30 am. The trip lasts 4 to 5 hours and we generally return back to Puerto Vallarta around 1:30 pm. Allow at minimum 30 minutes for transportation time to the pier from downtown Vallarta. Read below for special cruise ship group departure times.

boat-life-1-webOur After Booking Information page will give you more information about what to expect on the day of your tour. You can download our brochure in PDF format.

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Tour Costs:
$95.00 USD Per Adult
$75 USD Per Child Under 8 years of age.

Book Your Reservation Here

Proceeds of the tours benefit Humpback whale and Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) research projects.

8-OF-WEBYour Tour Includes:

  • Oceanologist as your specialized bilingual guide
  • Complete briefing of the geographical make up of Banderas Bay and morphological overview of the Humpback whale and it’s migration, mating and birthing activities
  • Hydrophone and speaker system to listen to whale songs
  • Certified Boat Captain & Crew
  • Comfortable West Marine® auto-inflating life vests for adults and life vests specifically designed to ensure the safety of young children
  • VHF radio communication system
  • Safety equipment
  • Restroom Facilities (On the daily operated 30-foot boat.)
  • Dry bags for camera equipment and clothing protection
  • Lunch and beverages onboard. Our lunch includes homemade submarine sandwiches, condiments, fruit, bottled purified water and soft drinks. Please advise us if you require a vegetarian lunch when making your booking.

Delines-WEBWe keep our group size small so that you can have a more enjoyable visit with the Humpback whales. Therefore, space is limited and advance reservations are required.

Whale Watching, Bird Watching & Marietas Island Tour: We offer a combination tour on specific departure dates. Check out our What’s New page to see a full description of this tour.

Cruise Ship Passenger Information: We offer special departure times for cruise ship groups. E-mail us directly for special arrangements for your group. Keep in mind that “ship time” may be different than local Puerto Vallarta time. Check with your cruise ship company and/or ship’s purser for exact local time here in Puerto Vallarta.

Proceed to our Reservation Page to book your whale watching adventure today!

Don’t forget to ask about our Private Charters for larger groups, special occasions and families traveling together! It’s the perfect way to interact privately with the whales and the added benefit of tour customization.

Click below to learn more about the incredible Humpback whale:

Humpback Whale Fact Sheet

Learn more about responsible whale watching and the official whale watching regulations by visiting the Puerto Vallarta Whale Watching Forum.

Whale Watching & Oceanographical Descriptive Tour

Marietas_2_2Join Ocean Friendly Tours on an Exclusive Whale Watching & Oceanographical Descriptive Tour.

This is a unique trip that we do only a few times during winter and spring months and normally only by private charter. However, this season we’ve decided to open our Whale Watching & Oceanographical Descriptive Tours to the general public. What a great way to  enjoy the magnificent Humpback whales of Banderas Bay and many of the other creatures that call the bay home at this time of year! Be sure to take a look at the photo gallery of incredible images at the bottom of this page.

This special tour is currently available for the following dates:

  • Thursday, December 24, 2009 - SOLD OUT
  • Saturday, January 9, 2010 - Special Charity Tour - SOLD OUT
  • Saturday, January 16, 2010 - SOLD OUT
  • Saturday, January 23, 2010 - SOLD OUT
  • Saturday, January 30, 2010 - SOLD OUT
  • Sunday, February 14, 2010 - SOLD OUT
  • Saturday, February 20, 2010 - SOLD OUT
  • Check out our Spring Oceanographical Descriptive Tour Dates
  • Please call or e-mail about private charters or other available dates for this tour.

Tour Costs:
$115.00 USD Per Person

Proceeds of the tours benefit Humpback whale and Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) research projects.

Please Do Not Make Payment Before Requesting Availability

Please e-mail us for availability of your preferred tour date prior to purchasing your tour. Your e-mail will be responded to within one business day. Office hours are 10am to 6pm daily (Central Time). Requests received after hours will be processed the next business day.

Choose Date
 

 

Tour Description:
The trip is very similar to our popular Whale Watching Adventure and includes all the standard offerings of that tour. You can click on the Whale Watching Adventure link to learn more about the standard tour. In addition, during this journey, we describe the origin of the bay and the islands and their relationship with the Sea of Cortez. We’ll also cover the major oceanographic and geological features of the bay and observe the marine pelagic wildlife such as Humpback whales, mantas, dolphins and exotic bird species including the Magnificent Frigate Bird, Tropic Bird, Blue Footed Booby Bird, terns and more. Weather permitting, we’ll stop at the front of the Marietta’ islands for an anchored lunch and bird watching.

Depending on ocean and weather conditions this tour can include whale watching, bird watching and circumnavigating to the backside of the Marietas Island, etc.

We look forward to welcoming you on board for this unique and rare opportunity to see the Humpback whales and explore the majesty of the Marietas Islands and the other creatures that live in the bay.

Group size is limited and reservations are required for this tour. If you have any specific questions about this tour please e-mail us.

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