Humpbacks winter in Banderas Bay on dates the federal government sets each year. The season, the rules boats must follow, and who takes you from Sayulita.
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Humpbacks spend the winter in Banderas Bay, and the season has a start and an end in law. The federal government publishes the dates every year. The last season ran from 8 December 2025 to 23 March 2026.
We have 4 operators on the map who take you out. OCEANO Dive and Surf runs seasonal whale tours with transport included. Ally Cat Tours watches for whales in season on its catamaran days to the Marietas.
How we pick: every whale watching operator on our map is here, and what we say about them comes from what they include. The rules below come from the federal standard every licensed boat follows. The other trips on the water are in the boat tours guide. More ways to fill a day are in things to do in Sayulita.
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Operators do not decide when whale watching starts. SEMARNAT, the federal environment ministry, publishes a notice for each season, and only then can licensed boats go out to watch. The notice covers both sides of the bay, Nayarit and Jalisco.
It has opened in early December and closed in late March for several years, but the dates change. The notice for the next season usually arrives in the autumn. Check it before you plan a trip around the whales.
The rules sit in one federal standard, NOM-131-SEMARNAT-2010. A small boat stays at least 60 meters from a humpback and a larger one 80. No more than four boats may gather around one whale, and each encounter ends after 30 minutes.
You cannot swim or dive with them. Licensed boats carry a permit and a SEMARNAT badge, and you can ask to see both. Whale watching is also banned within 1.5 kilometers of the Marietas Islands, so on a Marietas day you watch for them on the crossing, out in the bay.
228 places: restaurants, surf breaks, rentals, and everything between, pinned and color-coded by category. Open the map to search, filter, and tap your way around town.
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Pick OCEANO when the whales are the whole point. It runs whale watching as its own seasonal tour, and transport to the site is included.
Pick Ally Cat when you want the whales as part of a longer day. The catamaran heads for the Marietas with snorkeling, kayaks, lunch and an open bar, and the Ally Cat Bus collects you in town.
Through the winter, on dates the federal government sets each year. The last season ran from 8 December 2025 to 23 March 2026. Check the new dates before you book.
No. Swimming and diving near whales are both prohibited under the federal standard. You watch from the boat.
A small boat can come to 60 meters from a humpback and a larger one to 80. No more than four boats may be around one whale, for 30 minutes at most.
We have 4 on the map. OCEANO Dive and Surf runs seasonal whale tours, and Ally Cat Tours watches for whales on its catamaran days to the Marietas.
Ask. Licensed boats carry a permit and a SEMARNAT badge, and you can ask to see both before you go.
