Pearl Islands Whale Whale Watching & Contadora Island Beach Break

Real Deal Team Experience

Here at The Real Deal Tours we want to make sure we always offer you only the best tours in Panama so we send our team out to test out the tours then share their experience with you.  Here is our team experience of Panama Whale Watching Tours’ new Pearl Islands Whale Watching & Contadora Island Beach Break promotional tour happening right now.

Let me just start with THE quote of the day: “Oh my gosh, there are so many whales in each direction we do not even know which ones to follow!!”  Yup, that was an actual quote and that pretty much sums up our experience of whale watching in Panama last weekend.

Whale watching in Panama is still relatively new, and can be a bit costly from Panama City as you really need to get all the way out to the whales breeding grounds in the Pearl Islands for guaranteed whale watching.  Anne de Barragon has been leading these whale watching trips for the last 4 years in small groups, but this year thanks to the help of the team of Taboga Express Fast Ferry, they are now offering much more economical whale watching tours to Isla Contadora in the Pearl Islands on special promotional days. So our team jumped at the chance and wow were we ever blown away.

The check in was right at the Balboa Yacht club on the way out to the Amador Causeway.  We boarded the spacious and comfortable Fast Ferry and immediately enjoyed the view of the bridge of the Americas and the Panama Canal as the backdrop.  We maneuvered through giant cargo shops waiting to go through the Panama Canal then headed out into the Bay of Panama in search of the humpback whales that come to Panama from the southern hemisphere between July and October every year to give mate, give birth, and prepare their young for the journey back to their southern feeding grounds.

About an hour into the trip, we spotted our first whales before we even reached the Pearl Islands.  We observed them for a while, listened to their whale songs using a hydrophone, and our super knowledgeable guides educated us on their behaviors and many other fun facts about whales.  As we reached the Pearl Islands, the color of the water became more vivid shades of turquoise with the backdrop of the coconut palm lined white sandy beaches.  Whales or no whales, the trip to the Pearl Islands from Panama City is well worth the trek…. fortunately for us, the whales were in full force that day so we got the best of both. We navigated the islands for another hour seeking and observing several different groups of whales.

One note I really want to stress is choosing a responsible whale watching company who respects the whales and is not just hungry to make an extra buck by getting up way too close and harassing the whales just for that ” money shot”.  Unfortunately, we were witness to two boats that were following the whales way too close, and one even went over the top of the whale.  I was so very angry and frustrated for the poor whales just watching that jerk I wanted to jump overboard and punch him in the face.  When I asked the guides if they can at least report the boats, they said they have tried in the past, but because whale watching in Panama is still so new that the government does not invest in enforcing the whale watching regulations yet. With the growing popularity of whale watching in the Pearl Islands, I hope that changes soon.

Around noon we pulled up to hidden backside of Contadora Island.  Here you will find literally nothing except white sand beaches and pristine turquoise water…my kind of beach!  We took a small lancha from the Ferry into shore.  A short walk up the hill into town brought us to “The Point” restaurant and a delicious buffet of typical Panama cuisine including coco fish, chicken, coco rice with pigeon peas, salad, patacones & yucca.  After lunch we had 2 hours of free time to relax, swim, snorkel the reef…or as I did…just float around and soak up the island paradise.

On our way back to Panama City, the whales really decided to put on a show.  Every 15 minutes we would find another group of whales to observe.  We had the fortune as well of observing 2 males fighting for the attention of one female which means that they are very active and fun to watch.  As our time of whale watching in the Pearl Islands came to an end and we had to start heading back to port, there were whale groups in every direction.  It was stunning watching whales jump in the backdrop of the late afternoon sun glistening on the ocean surface.  I could not have asked for a better postcard perfect shot…unfortunately I am a terrible photographer so I missed that opportunity.  Oh well, guess I will have to go again!!

In a nutshell, I could not have asked for a better day of whale watching in Panama.  This new special promotion makes whale watching much more accessible to everyone in Panama, so I hope you have the opportunity to share this experience of a lifetime too someday.  The best whale watching tour in Panama with the best whale watching guides in Panama at the best price.  You just can’t beat it!