The
"Ballena Franca Austral" shows take
place only during the months of September and
October here in the Valdez peninsula. To see them
you only have to dare to take a boat trip.
During
the year, the best time to see the whales is on
the months of September and October. You should
not miss this. Although the first whales get here
in April and the last leave in December, around
500 of these swimming mammals gather near the
Valdez coast during the months above mentioned.
The trips are made in authorized powerboats that
have the security measures required for this encounters.
The boats will also give you a scenery tour so
you can appreciate the coastland and the natural
attractions. The first stop is at the Sea wolves
nesting place. You shall admire around 2000 Sea
wolves living here. Along the coastline, different
kinds of birds can be seen: the "Cormoran"
(a seagull look alike) build their nest on mountain
cliffs, the "cooking" seagull and the
"witch" heron.
After all this
the boats get far from the coast and shut off
the engines. We just lay there and all of the
sudden a gigantic silver body bursts out of the
water. The whale stays suspended in the air for
a second and then falls into the water flat on
its back. He or she will probably take a dive
beneath the boat and appear again on the other
side.
These whales weight somewhere between 3 to 55
tons and measure from 15 to 50 feet.
