Whale Watching Peninsula Valdes Argentina Puerto Madryn Puerto Piramide El Doradillo

 

The Southern Right Whale

Whale watching is one of the most important attractions in the Argentine Patagonia. Every year, more than 500 right whales visit Península Valdés from May to December to feed and raise their calves. We present them to you so that you know them better:

Ballena Franca Austral

The Eubalaena Australisknown as the Southern right whale, is a cetacean belonging to the Mysteci subgroup, which means they have whalebones or baleens instead of teeth. That is why they feed mainly on plankton and krill, composed of proteinic organisms, that are found in the South Antarctic seas. For this reason, the whales return every summer, to the Antarctic to feed - they live the rest of the year with the accumulated reserves.

Females become sexually mature at the age of seven, and can give birth to one calf every three years approximately, after a 12-month gestation. At birth, calves are between 4.6 and 5.5 meters long and weigh 3 tons. But when they become adults, they reach a length of 12 to 16 meters and a weight of 55 tons. Females are larger than males.

The Southern right whale is a gentle and peaceful creature, which has an incredible tenderness for its calves, to the extent that if the calf approaches a boat, its mother will move between both to protect its "baby". This gentleness is the quality that has given its name, the right whale, since it is easy to capture.
Nowadays, their total population is estimated at 7,000, and even though it is protected, men are still harassing them. The Southern right whale has been declared a Natural Monument and thanks to policies like this its population is increasing at an estimated 7% annual rate.
Other characteristics of the Soutern right whale:

- The oldest fossils found are 55 million years old
- At birth, whale calves are 5 meters long and weigh 3 tons. Adults reach between 12 and 16 meters long and may weigh up to 55 tons
- The top jaw is long and thin: its head measures a quarter of its total body
- On the upper part of the head there are two blowholes (spiracles) from which they breathe .
- As they grow, their heads are covered by callosities, which makes it possible to identify them.
- They have between 200 and 270 baleens on each side: they are rigid plates located on the top jaw as if they formed a comb.
- Its skin is plain and elastic, dark blue (almost black), although sometimes it is dark brown.
- They have irregular white patches in their underbelly
- It has a caudal fin (the tail) and pectoral fins
- It has no dorsal fin like most of the whales
- Several males compete for one female and several may mate the female


Whale watching

In Península Valdés, you can watch them closely either from the shore (El Doradillo) or by boat (Puerto Pirámides). The best time of the year is September and October when their population is larger, calves have already been born and the weather is nicer.
Although it is traditional to go to Península Valdés during the Colombus day holiday, we advise you to come at some other time, because of the great number of tourists, long lines and crowded boats. Boat trips started here in 1971 and, in the beginning, they were only in October and November. The number of whales was much lower than today and also they were more scattered. Today you can see them in calm waters, such as Golfo Nuevo, Golfo San José, El Doradillo and Puerto Pirámides.

Once the boat reaches the deeper sea, the captain stops the engine, and waits until they get closer. It is forbidden to chase them, bother them or touch them, which is tempting because many times they raise their heads very closely. Some whales like to swim under the boat, but do not worry: they have absolute control of space. The most sublime moment is when the whale flips out of the water and plunge back into the sea with their thirty tons, making a huge splash. To complete this spectacular view, they sometimes blow water through the two blowholes located in the head (spiracles), and you can see a V-shaped cloud of water. Others lift their tail high out of the water or hit their flukes down into the surface.

When you reach the shore, you will not believe the wonderful feelings that will always be with you. Do not miss this opportunity to be face to face with nature !

Whale watching in Puerto Pirámides
Season
 From May to December
Boat Ride
 US$ 25 adults
$ 12 children
Timetable
 From 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. (is better to get there before 4:00 p.m.)


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Whale Watching Peninsula Valdes Argentina Puerto Madryn Puerto Piramide El Doradillo