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Official Whale Watching Regulations, Suggested Guidlines and Best Practice
 The following is a list of PDF documents that contain the exact legalities related to responsible whale watching. Below the official information, we have extracted the guidelines and best practices that you’ll find below. The 2008/2009 official whale watching season runs from December 08, 2009 - March 23, 2010.
This list will continue to be updated as new information if located. If you have any information about Mexican Whale Watching Regulations that you would like to share with us, please contact us.
Whale Watching Regulation Documents
Mexican Secretariat of Environment, Natural Resources & Fisheries
Regulations Related Specially to Banderas Bay in Puerto Vallarta
Mexican Regulation NOM131 ECOL 1998 [PDF File - 8kb]
International Whaling Commission
General Principles for Whale Watching [PDF File - 58kb]
World Wide Regulations (Mexico, pg. 78) [PDF File - 683kb]
Various White Paper Reports Relating to
Whale Watching Regulations Worldwide
Legal Aspects of Whale Watching in North America [PDF - 81kb]
Conservation Basis for Canadian Whale Watching Regulations [302kb]
 Graphical Representation of Whale Watching Regulations Tour Operators & Private Boaters
Here is a really great graphical representation of the official whale watching regulations. It was created by our friends at ECOBAC:
Whale Watching Regulations - Graphical Representation [PDF - 535kb]
 Note: Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to open and view the above documents. You can get your free version by clicking on the Adobe button to the left.
Suggested Whale Watching Guidelines
You can make a difference when viewing marine mammals in the wild. By being aware of the steps for responsible marine-mammal viewing, you can help reduce the potential to inadvertently harm marine mammals or to violate Federal law.
If, after reading these guidelines, you desire more information about how to be a more responsible whale watcher, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offers a great web site that contains even more Responsible Marine Viewing Guidelines. If you want more detailed information, check out the Official Mexican Regulations above relating specifically to Banderas Bay.
- Remain at least 100 yards away from whales, dolphins, porpoises, and from seals and sea lions that are in the water, on land or rocks.
- While viewing marine mammals, you should ensure that your actions do not cause a change in their behavior. Never attempt to herd, chase, or separate groups of marine mammals or mothers from their young. Young marine mammals can quickly become prey without their mother’s protection.
- Do not encircle or trap whales or other marine mammals between your boat and shore, or another boat and your boat. Always leave them an escape route.
- If approached closely by marine mammals while you are motoring, reduce speed, and shift to neutral. Do not reengage props until the animals are observed at the surface and clear of the vessel.
- Do not crowd other whale-watching vessels. When encountering other whale watchers, wait your turn from a distance, then approach cautiously after they have left the area.
- Limit your viewing time with any individual or group of marine mammals to ten minutes.
- Avoid following behind or approaching directly in front of whales or other marine mammals. Vessels should attempt to parallel a whale’s course.
- Avoid excessive speed or sudden changes in speed or direction near whales and marine mammals.
- Whales and marine mammals may surface in unpredictable locations. Emitting periodic noise may help whales know your location and avoid whale and boat collisions. For example, if your engine is not running, occasionally tap the side of your boat with a hard object.
Source - National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration web site.
Best Practices & Guidelines for Tour Operators When in the Proximity of Whales
From two miles to one mile away:
Reduce speed to 13 knots. Post a dedicated lookout to assist the vessel operator in monitoring the location of all marine mammals. Avoid sudden changes in speed and direction. Aircraft should observe the FAA minimum altitude of 1,000 feet over water.
From one mile to one-half mile away:
Reduce speed to 10 knots.
From one-half mile to 600 yards away:
Reduce speed to 7 knots and maneuver to avoid head-on approach.
Close approach procedure 600 feet or closer:
Parallel the course and speed of moving whales up to the designated speed limit within that distance. Do not ever attempt a head-on approach to whales.
Approach and leave stationary whales at no more than idle or "no wake" speed, not to exceed 7 knots. Do not intentionally drift down on whales. Vessels in multi-vessel approaches should maintain communication with each other (via the appropriate VHF channels for hailing) to coordinate viewing.
Take into account the presence of obstacles (vessels, structures, fishing gear or the shoreline). All vessels in close approach should stay to the side or behind the whales so they do not box in the whales or cut off their path.
Standby Zone - From 300 feet to 600 feet away:
Two vessel limit within the 300- to 600-foot Standby Zone at any one time.
Close Approach Zone - From 100 feet to 300 feet away:
One vessel limit. Other vessels stand off. (Up to two vessels in the Standby Zone and others outside 600 feet). If more than one vessel is within 600 feet, the vessel within 300 feet should limit its time to 15 minutes in close approach to whales.
No Intentional Approach within 100 feet.
Do not approach within 100 feet of whales. If whales approach within 100 feet of your vessel, put engines in neutral and do not reengage propulsion until whales are observed clear of harm's way from your vessel.
Departure Procedure
All vessels should leave the whales following the same speed and distance procedures described above.
In order for vessels to be clear of whales before dark, vessels should cease whale watching and begin their return to port 15 minutes before sunset.
Source - National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration web site.
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