Taggart

I was wondering if the transatlantic cruises are an opportunity to do some whale watching, or do they stay closer to the shore?

I have seen whales in Manzanillo, Mexico just off the shore and I enjoyed it.

richardm

I would think that it is possible at the right time of year but I doubt if any special arangements are made to help.

Here in the UK the best chance to see whales is on a ferry (honest!!). The Pride of Bilbao sails from Portsmouth on our south coast to Bilbao on the northern coast of Spain and travels along the edge of the Continental Shelf which has lots of plankton blooms - very popular with whales. The ship even has a wildlife officer aboard who hosts whale watching sessions on the upper deck. More info on what they find is given here - Biscay Dolphin Research Programme

The only problem is taht in winter the weather can get a bit rough - I was aborad at the end on November on Force 10 - interesting but to rough to see much (!!)

I suspect that if you get a bit of experience with guides it will be easier to spot something on your own.

There's also a few comments I've posted here - http://www.cruisingtalk.com/general-...ghlight=bilbao

Let me know if I can help

Richard