Visitors’ temperature will be taken, must wear face masks at all times and go through a sanitization filter.
Providers of tourist services of Puerto Adolfo López Mateos, in the municipality of Comondú, Baja California Sur, are preparing for a gray whale watching season very different from the previous ones, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures sanitary that they will have to apply in the boats.
Juan Aragón, representative of the Aquendi Tourist Services Cooperative, announced to Excelsior that in order to comply with the protocol ordered by the Ministry of Health, they will take the temperature of visitors, who must wear face masks at all times and go through a sanitization filter .
In addition, he commented that the boats will only be able to leave with 50 percent occupancy, which makes the activity less profitable due to the high cost of fuel, “but there is no choice but to try to get ahead, right now the main thing is to be healthy.”
“We have boats of up to 14 people and we are only going to be able to leave with seven occupants to comply with sanitary measures,” he said.
He stressed that the whales are already on the Pacific side and they hope that by January 5 they will be able to start the tours since the specimens are in shallower waters.
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Juan Aragón pointed out that in a good season the 27 vessels of the cooperative serve between 10,000 and 12,000 visitors, but in total there are four companies with 70 vessels that provide the service in the Adolfo López Mateos Port, at a cost of 3,000 600 pesos for a two-hour ride.
The 2020-2021 whale watching season is already underway according to the calendar published by the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF).
Baja California:
Bahía de Todos Santos, Municipality of Ensenada, from December 15, 2020 to April 15, 2021.
Baja California Sur:
Puerto Adolfo López Mateos and Puerto San Carlos, Bahía Magdalena, Bahía Santa María and Isla Magdalena, Puerto Cancún, municipality of Comondú, from January 1 to April 30, 2021.
Puerto Chale, Bahía Magdalena in the municipality of La Paz, from January 1 to April 30, 2021.
Bahía de Loreto National Park, municipality of Loreto, from January 1 to April 30, 2021.
El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, Laguna Ojo de Liebre and Laguna de San Ignacio, Municipality of Mulegé, from December 15, 2020 to April 30, 2021.
Cabo San Lucas Flora and Fauna Protection Area, Cabo Pulmo National Park, Los Frailes-Cabo Pulmo and San José del Cabo, municipality of Los Cabos, from December 15, 2020 to April 30, 2021.
Nayarit:
Bahía de Banderas, municipality of Bahía de Banderas, from December 08, 2020 to March 23, 2021.
Compostela, municipality of Compostela (Rincón de Guayabitos-Peñita Jaltemba-Chacala), from December 1, 2020 to March 23, 2021.
San Blas-Isla Isabel, municipality of San Blas, from December 1, 2020 to March 23, 2021.
Jalisco:
Bahía de Banderas, municipalities of Puerto Vallarta and Cabo Corrientes, from December 08, 2020 to March 23, 2021.
Sinaloa:
Mazatlán-Teacapan area, municipalities of Mazatlán, Cosalá and Escuinapa, from December 8, 2020 to March 31, 2021.
Sonora:
Puerto Peñasco area, municipality of Puerto Peñasco, from January 1 to April 30, 2021.
Oaxaca:
Puerto Ángel-Mazunte area, municipalities of Santa María Tonameca and San Pedro Pochutla, from December 05, 2020 to March 31, 2021.
Puerto Escondido, Bahía Principal and Bahía de Puerto Angelito area, municipalities of San Pedro Mixtepec and Santa María Colotepec, from December 15, 2020 to March 21, 2021.
Guerrero:
La Majahua Beach, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Barra de Potosí, La Barrita, Municipalities of La Unión de Montes de Oca,
Zihuatanejo de Azueta and Petatlán, from December 15, 2020 to March 20, 2021.
Source: nssoaxaca.com