Whale Watching -Too Close for Comfort

In the States, there are rules as to how close a boat can get to a whale, but in Ecuador, no one seems to care. At the expense of interfering with whale mating and migration, tourists have the pleasure of watching whales up close and personal. I feel somewhat guilty for contributing to the on-going environmental risks by being one of those whale seeking tourists, which is partly why I didn't go twice to see the whales even though I really wanted to.

During the months of June to December, one can see humpback whales migrating. Any tourist going on a whale watching tour is pretty much guaranteed to see them since they seemed to be everywhere when I went. The boats almost surround them and the whales have to adjust their positions to get around the boats which is how I'm able to take photos so close-up. Although I wasn't fast enough to take a picture, I saw a whale leap out of the water for the amusement of his mate. Only the males seem to jump and they can jump quite high.



Their heads are covered with tubercles that look like stuck mussels, but are actually hair follicles as seen in the photo below. I could have watched them all day, but only did so for a couple hours because I also had to see the Poor Man's Galapagos that same day.
The island off of Ecuador, Isla de La Plata, is known as the Poor Man's Galapagos because a tour to see similar wildlife as on the Galapagos only cost $30 including the whales as opposed to thousands for the Galapagos. Because I could not get enough of the blue footed boobies, I went to see them again along with the Nazca boobies who currently have little hatchlings.




The town of Puerto Lopez is mainly known as a fishing village despite the whales and the Isla de La Plata. Fishing boats congregate and bring in the daily catch. Therefore, I ate fresh seafood every night for dirt cheap and chilled out with fruit milkshakes. One day, I laid out on the National Park beach of Los Frailes. I woke up every morning to the sounds of waves crashing since my own private cabana only cost $10 including breakfast. And in the evenings, I huddled around a beach bonfire and chatted with other gringos or I relaxed on my hammock with my latest book. Life is good.