How to Trade Your Timeshare for Top Whale Watching Destinations

It is early in the morning and you are gently swaying in a hammock strung between 2 palm trees. As usual there is a light sea breeze and even though it is February it is 75 degrees. There is still not much activity on the beach and the tropical blue ocean is even calmer. Apart from a fishing panga crossing the water, the ocean is as flat as a mirror.

Suddenly, his zen-like serenity is shattered when, 100 yards offshore, a 45-foot-long, 40,000-pound gray whale leaps almost entirely out of the ocean, pirouettes on its tail, and crashes down sending out saltwater. 30 feet in the air. Standing on the beach, you hardly have time to wonder if you really witnessed such an explosion of nature and how you got out of the hammock so quickly, when it happens again, and then again. You find yourself involuntarily jumping up and down, pumping your fist in the air screaming at the top of your lungs in one of the most spectacular displays of nature known to mankind.

Welcome to Cabo San Lucas during peak whale watching season. Along with Iceland and Antarctica, the Los Cabos region of the Baja Peninsula is listed by the World Wildlife Fund as one of the top 3 places in the world to watch whales from shore. And for most North Americans, it’s not only easy to find, but also nice and warm.

This is a great place to exchange your timeshare due to the quantity and quality of timeshare resorts in the area. There are 30-40 timeshare resorts listed on RCI and Interval International. In fact, there are more timeshare rooms than hotel rooms in Los Cabos.

You will need to make your exchange request at least 7 months in advance in order to get confirmation for February. If you own a very powerful business timeshare or have maxed out your trading power, you can do so with less notice. You can expect daytime temperatures in the mid-70s and 80s and it’s the perfect time of year for a visit.

If you switch to one of the timeshare resorts on the Pacific Ocean side of the Baja Peninsula, such as Sol Mar, Playa Grande, Finisterra, or Pueblo Bonito Sunset, the gray whales often come close enough to shore that can hear them. They get so close because the shore drops off at such a steep angle that they can rub their bellies in the sand to relieve themselves of the barnacles and moths that irritate their skin. But be careful. The same conditions that make it so good for whale watching make it extremely dangerous for swimming. Many people have drowned swimming on the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula.

A great way to get up close to the whales is to take a sunset dinner cruise instead of just a whale watching cruise. That way you can eat, drink and watch the sunset while the whales entertain you. And they really put on a show.

Some stand on their heads and wag their tails; others roll sideways and flap a fin at you. Another peculiar trait that you will probably see is the so-called spy jump. That’s when a whale sticks its head vertically out of the water seemingly to look around. Whale experts believe that they are actually doing this to help them swallow their food.

The most spectacular behavior of whales is when they jump. Usually it’s the big males that do this and to us it looks like they’re jumping for joy. Whatever the scientific reason for this behavior, it is something you will never forget.

So make your exchange request early with RCI and Interval International and don’t forget your camera.