Bahia Aventuras gains fame in the March 2010 Edition of the bi-lingual German – English travel magazine Costa Rica Spirits. The issue focuses on Costa Rica’s beautiful places and the articles about the southern pacific region-from Costa Ballena to the Corcovado National park-exemplify that the area is one of the best places in Costa Rica to visit. One unique place to spend your vacation is Uvita-Bahia Ballena where Bahia Aventuras operates it’s whale watching, dolphin encounters, sportfishing, corcovado national park, snorkeling and visits to Cano Island. With operations expanding Bahia Aventuras will soon be offering diving, surfing and kayaking to make it the ONE STOP SHOP for all your marine tour needs. Come visit us in Uvita-Bahia Ballena!
Frequently asked questions
Q. Is it guaranteed that I will see whales and dolphins?
A. Bahia Aventuras is located in the south pacific of Costa Rica near the Osa Peninsula. Our tours are focused in and around the Marino Ballena National Park, one of the most cetacean-rich areas in all of Costa Rica. Visitors have the opportunity to see a wide variety of different species from humpback whales to bottlenose dolphins as well as sea turtles, manta rays, sea birds and other marine life. We could never guarantee 100% that visitors will have encounters with whales and dolphins as they are not held in captivity. The beauty of the Marino Ballena National Park is that we do encounter whales and dolphins about 95% of our outings during the whale season which stretches from mid July and October, and again in December through March, as they migrate to and from feeding and mating grounds in the north and south hemisphere. We recommend that you plan two different tours and get your 10% discount with us to see the widest range of behaviors, species and opportunities for close encounters with the amazing marine life the area has to offer.
Q. What can I expect to see?
A. We can never offer 100% guarantee of encounters with wild animals. However the following list is to be used as a guide to what we commonly see throughout the year. This list is based on the areas past years of recorded sightings:
January: Spotted Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins
February: Spotted Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins
March: Spotted Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales, Beaked Whales
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins
April: Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pilot Whales
Occasional: Humpback Whales, Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas
May: Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Common Dolphins, Pilot Whales
June: Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins
Occasional: Humpback Whales, Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales,
July: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales
August: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Pilot Whales
September: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales
October: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphin
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Pilot Whales
November: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins
Occasional: Orcas, Sei Whales, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pilot Whales
December: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pilot Whales
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins
Q. Can I swim with whales and dolphins?
A. Swimming with whales and dolphins is illegal in Costa Rica. Also illegal is keeping whales and dolphins in captivity, not following legal practices for sightings and encounters and hunting. We encourage other companies to also follow best practices for marine tourism and not put too much stress and disruption on the whales and dolphins natural behaviors. By following best practices for marine tourism we can avoid causing constant disruption to their feeding, resting, nursing and other behaviors that might impact the health and well being of entire populations of whales and dolphins. Whale watching and dolphin encounters from our boats are powerful experiences that ignite a feeling of true awe! By viewing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat from our boat, you can start to explore their world while minimizing the disruption to their natural behaviors.
Q. When is the best time to come?
A. Anytime is a good time to come to Uvita-Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica and visit the Marino Ballena National Park. The “high tourist season-dry season” in Costa Rica is considered to be mid-November through April due to little or no rain. However, our tours continue year-round! Please remember that the whale season stretches from mid July through October, and again in December through March. As for the dolphins, they are always here! Many visitors enjoy coming during the “low season-rainy season” as there are less people and everything is green and blooming.
Q. What is the water and air temperature?
A. The water temperature is always between 82-85 degrees (perfect!) and air temperature stays in the low to mid 80’s.
Baird’s tapir in Corcovado National Park
Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is a species of tapir that is native to Central America and northern South America. It is one of three Latin American species of tapir.
It is a large browsing mammal, roughly pig-like in shape, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia and in Costa Rica can be found in the tropical rainforest of Corcovado National Park, often times near the river banks and ocean shores. . There are four species of Tapirs, being the Brazilian tapir, the Malayan tapir, Baird’s tapir and the mountain tapir. All four species of tapir are classified as endangered or vulnerable. Their closest relatives are the other odd-toed ungulates, including horses and rhinoceroses.
The Baird’s Tapir has a distinctive cream-colored marking on its face and throat and a dark spot on each cheek, behind and below the eye. The rest of its hair is dark brown or grayish-brown. The animal is the largest of the three American species and, in fact, the largest land mammal found in the wild from Mexico to South America. Baird’s Tapirs usually grow to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length and 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in height, and adults weigh 240–400 kilograms (530–880 lb). Like the other species of tapir, they have small stubby tails and long, flexible proboscises. They have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot.
The gestation period is approximately 400 days, after which one offspring is born (multiple births are extremely rare). The babies, as with all species of tapir, have reddish-brown hair with white spots and stripes, a camouflage which affords them excellent protection in the dappled light of the forest. This pattern eventually fades into the adult coloration. For the first week of their lives, infant Baird’s Tapirs are hidden in secluded locations while their mothers forage for food and return periodically to nurse them, but after this time, the young follow their mothers on feeding expeditions. At three weeks of age, the young are able to swim. Weaning occurs after one year, and sexual maturity is usually reached six to twelve months later. Baird’s Tapirs can live for over thirty years.
Green and black poison dart frog in Corcovado National Park
The green and black poison dart frog, (Dendrobates auratus) is a brightly-colored member of the order Anura and is a native to Costa Rica. It is commonly seen in the Osa Peninsula and the Corcovado National park during the Bahia Aventuras Corcovado Tour. They are usually found on the floor of the rain forest and prefer locations near small streams or pools.
The adults are approximately 4 cm long and have a fused head and trunk with no tail. Another important physical characteristic is the poison glands located throughout the surface of their body. Their bright colors are believed to encourage predators with color vision to avoid the frogs. The boldly contrasting patterns may be aposematic to predators that lack color vision, although this has not been proven. They are diurnal, and are seldom still during the day, constantly searching for food and taking care of young. They also have distinctive hopping motions.
Ant eater “Oso Hormiguero” in Corcovado National Park
The Ant eater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), often reffered to in spanish as Oso hormiguero, litrally, “anteating bear”, is an animal measuring up to 2.4 meters (8 feet) in length, excluding the tail, and up to 1.2 meter (4 foot) in height at the shoulder. It has a long, thin head with a large bushy tail. Its color is gray, with a broad black band, bordered with white, starting on the chest, and passing over the shoulder. Giant Anteaters are sometimes mistaken for bears because of their claws and bushy fur. It is also a very solitary animal and very easy to observe during the Corcovado National Park Tour.
Its food mainly consists of termites, which it obtains by opening nests with its powerful sharp claws. As the insects swarm to the damaged part of their dwelling, it draws them into its mouth by means of its long, flexible, rapidly moving tongue covered with sticky saliva. Their tongue can be flicked up to 150-160 times or more per minute. A full-grown giant Anteater eats upwards of 30,000 ants and termites a day.They also have small spikes on their tongue that help keep the ants and other insects on the tongue while they get swept into the anteaters mouth.
The Ant eaters frequent the low swampy savannas, along the banks of rivers, and the depths of the humid forests in the Corcovado National Park.
The two Anteaters of the genus Tamandua, the Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) and the Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana), are much smaller than the Giant Anteater, and differ essentially from it in their habits, being mainly arboreal. They inhabit the dense primeval forests of South and Central America. The usual colour is yellowish-white, with a broad black lateral band, covering nearly the whole of the side of the body.
White-nosed Coati in Corcovado National Park
The White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica), also known as the Pizote, is a species of coati and a member of the Procyonidae (raccoon family) and is commonly seen in Costa Rica. With Bahia Aventuras you can see the White-nosed Coati during your Corcovado National Park full day tour.
White-nosed Coatis inhabit wooded areas (dry and moist forests) of the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado Park. They are found at any altitude from sea level to 3,500 m (11,000 ft). They are omnivores, preferring small vertebrates, fruits, carrion, insects, and eggs. They can climb trees easily, where the tail is used for balance, but they are most often on the ground foraging. Their predators include boas, raptors and hunting cats like the jaguar and puma that inhabit the Corcovado National. They readily adapt to human presence; like Raccoons, they will raid campsites and trash receptacles. They can be domesticated easily, and have been verified to be quite intelligent.
White-nosed Coatis are primarily diurnal, retiring during the night to a specific tree and descending at dawn to begin their daily search for food. Adult males are solitary, but females and sexually immature males form social groups. They use many vocal signals to communicate with one another, and on our tours you might hear them. They also spend time grooming themselves and each other with their teeth and claws.
White-lipped Peccary in Corcovado National Park
The White-lipped Peccary, Tayassu pecari, is a peccary species found living in the rainforest of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.
The white-lipped peccary is diurnal and lives in large herds of 50 to 300+ individuals, though there have been reported sightings of up to 2,000 individuals. It is an omnivorous animal, feeding on fruits, roots, tubers, palm nuts, grasses and invertebrates. During hikes in the Corcovado Park visitors may come across these heards. but use cuation. The white-lipped peccary is widely considered the most dangerous peccary; unlike the rather shy collared peccary, the white-lipped species will charge at any enemy if cornered, and when one of them is injured, the entire herd returns to defend it. First-hand encounters are unforgettable experiences!
The white-lipped peccary is also found in Central America and South America. It ranges from southeast Mexico, throughout eastern Central America, to northern Argentina.
Humpback Whale
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a Baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12-16 metres (40-50 ft) and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the water. Males produce a complex whale song, which lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and is repeated for hours at a time. The purpose of the song is not yet clear, although it appears to have a role in mating.
Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometers each year. Humpbacks migrate from the polar waters of South America between July and October and from the cold waters of North America to warmer tropical waters between the months of January and April. The whales come to the warm and quiet waters surrounding the Marino Ballena National Park, Caño Island, and Osa Peninsula area to give birth to their young.
Like other large whales, the humpback was and is a target for the whaling industry. Due to over-hunting, its population fell by an estimated 90% before a whaling moratorium was introduced in 1966. Stocks of the species have since partially recovered; however, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution also remain concerns. It is believed they number about 30,000-40,000 at present, or about 30-35% of the original population.
Physical description of the humpback whale
The head of a humpback whale is broad and rounded when viewed from above, but slim in profile. The body is quite round, narrowing to a slender peduncle (tail stock). The top of the head and lower jaw have rounded, bump-like knobs, each containing at least one stiff hair. The purpose of these hairs is not known. There are between 20-50 ventral grooves which extend slightly beyond the navel.
Colors of the humpback whale
The body is black on the dorsal (upper) side, and black and white on the ventral (under) side. This color pattern extends to the flukes. When the humpback whale “sounds” (goes into a long or deep dive) it usually throws its flukes upward, exposing the black and white patterned underside. This pattern is distinctive to each whale. The flippers range from all white to all black dorsally, but are usually white ventrally.
Fins and flukes, length and weight of the humpback whale
About 2/3 of the way back on the body is an irregularly shaped dorsal (top) fin. Its flippers are very long, between 1/4 and 1/3 the length of its body, and have large knobs on the leading edge. The flukes (tail), which can be 18 feet (5.5 m) wide, is serrated and pointed at the tips. Adult males measure 40-48 feet (12.2-14.6 m), adult females measure 45-50 feet (13.7-15.2 m). They weigh 25 to 40 tons (22,680-36,287 kg).
Feeding habits of the humpback whale
Humpback whales feed on krill, small shrimp-like crustaceans, and various kinds of small fish. Each whale eats up to 1 and 1/2 tons (1,361 kg) of food a day. As a baleen whale, it has a series of 270-400 fringed overlapping plates hanging from each side of the upper jaw, where teeth might otherwise be located. These plates consist of a fingernail-like material called keratin that frays out into fine hairs on the ends inside the mouth near the tongue. The plates are black and measure about 30 inches (76 cm) in length. During feeding, large volumes of water and food can be taken into the mouth because the pleated grooves in the throat expand. As the mouth closes water is expelled through the baleen plates, which trap the food on the inside near the tongue to be swallowed.
Humpback whales mating and breeding
Humpback whales reach sexual maturity at 6-10 years of age or when males reach the length of 35 feet (11.6 m) and females reach 40 feet (12 m). Each female typically bears a calf every 2-3 years and the gestation period is 12 months. A humpback whale calf is between 10-15 feet (3-4.5 m) long at birth, and weighs up to 1 ton (907 kg). It nurses frequently on the mother’s rich milk, which has a 45% to 60% fat content. The calf is weaned to solid food when it is about a year old.
Distribution and migration of humpback whales
Found in all the world’s oceans, most populations of humpback whales follow a regular migration route, summering in temperate and polar waters for feeding, and wintering in tropical waters for mating and calving. In the Arabian Sea, a year-round non-migratory population of humpbacks appears not to follow this general rule.
Natural history of the humpback whale
At least 3 different species of barnacles are commonly found on both the flippers and the body of the humpback whale. It is also home for a species of whale lice, Cyamus bops. Humpback whales are active, acrobatic whales. They can throw themselves completely out of the water (breaching), and swim on their backs with both flippers in the air. They also engage in “tail lobbing” (raising their huge flukes out of the water and then slapping it on the surface) and “flipper slapping” (using their flippers to slap the water). It is possible that these behaviors are important in communication between humpbacks.
Perhaps the most interesting behavior of humpback whales is their “singing.” Scientists have discovered that humpback whales sing long, complex “songs”. Whales in the North American Atlantic population sing the same song, and all the whales in the North American Pacific population sing the same song. However, the songs of each of these populations and of those in other areas of the world are uniquely different. A typical song lasts from 10-20 minutes, is repeated continuously for hours at a time, and changes gradually from year to year. Singing whales are males, and the songs may be a part of mating behavior.
Status of the humpback whale
Because their feeding, mating, and calving grounds are close to shore and because they are slow swimmers, the humpback whales were an easy target for early whalers. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) gave them worldwide protection status in 1966, but there were large illegal kills by the Soviets until the 1970’s. It is believed they number about 30,000-40,000 at present, or about 30-35% of the original population.
*Adapted from American Cetacean Society for educational purposes.
Costa Ricas Marine Resources
Costa Rica’s marine area reaches 580,000 km2, approximately 10 times larger than its land area of only 52,100 km2. The Costa Rican ocean generates countless biological, economical and social benefits and in its resources lays the future of the country. The Marino Ballena National Park and the surrounding areas of Cano Island Biological Reserve and front bays of the entire Osa Peninsula are beautiful marine areas where locals and visitors alike can experience whales, dolphins, sea turtles, marine birds, colorful fish and amazing coral reefs.
WHALES
Whales are large, magnificent, intelligent, aquatic mammals. They breathe air through blowholes into lungs (unlike fish who breathe using gills). Whales have sleek, streamlined bodies that move easily through the water. They are the only mammals, other than manatees (seacows), that live their entire lives in the water, and the only mammals that have adapted to life in the open oceans.
Scientists believe that early whales actually walked the earth. The theory, supported by recent fossil finds in the foothills of the Himalayas, is that about 53.5 million years ago, whales were amphibious. They originated as land mammals, and gradually ventured into the water in search of food. They fed on fresh and saltwater fish. Eventually, they lost their legs and nostrils, and became the creatures we know today.
The Humpback Whale, Pilot Whale, Bryde’s, and False Orca are just some of the whales that visit the Marino Ballena National Park and the surrounding areas of Cano Island Biological Reserve and front bays of the entire Osa Peninsula.
DOLPHINS
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. They vary in size from 1.2 metres (4 ft) and 40 kilograms (88 lb), up to 9.5 m (30 ft) and ten tonnes. They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. The family Delphinidae is the largest in the Cetaceans, and relatively recent: dolphins evolved about ten million years ago, during the Miocene. Dolphins are considered to be amongst the most intelligent of animals and their often-friendly appearance and seemingly playful attitude have made them popular in human culture.
The Bottlenose Dolphin, Pan-Tropical Spotted Dolphin, Common Dolphin and Spinner Dolphin are permanent residents and can be generally observed year round breeding and feeding in the warm tropical waters of the Marino Ballena National Park, Cano Island Biological Reserve and Osa Peninsula.
SEA TURTLES
Sea turtles are large, air-breathing reptiles that inhabit tropical and subtropical seas throughout the world. Their shells consist of an upper part (carapace) and a lower section (plastron). Hard scales (or scutes) cover all but the leatherback, and the number and arrangement of these scutes can be used to determine the species. Sea turtles come in many different sizes, shapes and colors and the most common sea turtles in the South Pacific, Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica are the Green Sea turtles, Hawksbill turtles and Olive Ridley turtles.