Li Valenzuela / Correspondent
PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Oaxaca.- The humpback whale watching season officially begins in the Mazunte-San Agustinillo-Puerto Angel polygon and the first nautical tourism tours were satisfactory, achieving the sighting of four specimens of cetaceans, indicated the representative of Yubarta Ecotourism, professor Francisco Villegas Zurita.
“We started well in the Mazunte-San Agustinillo-Puerto Ángel area, with a large influx of tourists seeking this service and we had the opportunity to observe two groups of two whales; that is to say, four whales that we followed from the Zipolite area to Bahía de la Boquilla, several boats; the good thing is that they did comply with the observation practices, as established by the Official Mexican Standard 131 Semarnat 2010 ”.
This standard, added the tour operator, dictates specifications to efficiently carry out this practice, such as maintaining a distance of 60 meters between cetacean and boat, an observation time of 30 minutes per group and a maximum of four boats around one or more specimens.
The professor and specialist in humpbacks mentioned that they transported French and German tourists who were impressed with this experience during the first three-and-a-half-hour walk they took on Sunday morning.
In addition, he commented that visitors were able to appreciate the rest of the marine fauna that at this time of year is nurtured in species such as mantas, dolphins, sea turtles, with the house species, the olive ridley and some 17 species of migratory marine birds.
The tour operator explained that when winter arrives, humpback or humpback whales migrate from Baja California to Central America, to a "tropical habitat" and then return to the point of origin and that they carry out reproduction and rearing activities on the coasts of Oaxaca.
“The maximum peak of abundance, when there are more whales and therefore, more probability of seeing them, is in the month of January; the probability is 95 percent when going sailing ”, affirmed Villegas Zurita.
Regarding preventive health measures, he indicated that a maximum capacity of eight people per trip is contemplated, the use of face masks and also a protocol for disinfection of the equipment used is applied.
4
specimens were observed
8
people travel by boat
4
boats are allowed per group
