What a great day we had whale watching in Banderas Bay! There were twelve of us in a zodiac, all facing out to the sides so everyone got a great view. Marine Biologist, Astrid Frisch Jordan was with us, and after a 20 minute presentation teaching us about the humpback whale, we boarded 'The Prince of Whales' zodiac for a morning of adventure.
It was mating season and the strongest male that wins the competitive battles for the female ends up being her chosen one. All the fighting goes on underwater and when a male feels defeated, they swim away. They don't kill each other. Great displays of strength occur when they breach high above the water, landing with a huge splash.
The humpback whale gets its name, not from the shape of its back, but because of the distinct arch of their backs when they are proceeding to do a deep dive. Each whale has distinctive markings on its fluke (tail) and dorsal fins, so biologists are able to track them quite effectively.
The finale of the day was further out in the bay where we saw three males challenging each other. One after the other they breached creating magnificent splashdowns.
It was mating season and the strongest male that wins the competitive battles for the female ends up being her chosen one. All the fighting goes on underwater and when a male feels defeated, they swim away. They don't kill each other. Great displays of strength occur when they breach high above the water, landing with a huge splash.
The humpback whale gets its name, not from the shape of its back, but because of the distinct arch of their backs when they are proceeding to do a deep dive. Each whale has distinctive markings on its fluke (tail) and dorsal fins, so biologists are able to track them quite effectively.
The finale of the day was further out in the bay where we saw three males challenging each other. One after the other they breached creating magnificent splashdowns.
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