Each year they swim over 7,000 miles, coasting along the cold waters of Patagonia and here they are, ready to delight us with their acrobatics and singing.

For them, the warm waters of Costa Ballena are a great place to give birth.

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) are the queens of the Whales´ Festival in Bahia de Uvita, but we can also enjoy the frolicking bottlenose dolphins (Turpsiops truncatus) and the Pacific spotted dolphins (Stenella atenuatta).

The male humpback whales come here to find a partner.

To do this, they act like most males, they don´t miss a chance to show off by jumping over the water, lifting their 20-30 tons above the surface of the water, to then fall back splashing with their large pectoral fins.

Once underwater, they seize the moment to seduce their mates by chanting a series of complicated songs. Some boats in Bahia are equipped with hydrophones so you can listen to this musical phenomenon.

After almost twelve months of gestation, the females reach our shores to give birth to their young.

This is not easy when the newborn is more than four meters long and weighs over a ton! After birth, the calf learns to breathe above the surface aided by his mother. After twelve months of lactation, the calf can feed itself with krill (tiny crustaceans) and small fish.

To find a mother and her little one is a very special event. Humpback whales are an endangered species. They are guided mostly by sound waves because their eyesight is poor and the waters near the shoreline often have limited visibility. Therefore they are particularly affected and disoriented by the sounds of boats.

When you get close to them, stop the engine of the boat ... and enjoy the show. Do not forget your binoculars and cameras!