Seasickness and refunds on a Puerto Vallarta whale tour
Banderas Bay is often fairly calm in winter, but not every day, and a few hours of rocking can spoil a whale trip for anyone prone to seasickness. The boat you choose matters, and so do a few habits before you board. This page also covers what happens when wind cancels the trip.
How the bay behaves in winter
Banderas Bay is large and partly sheltered, and in the dry winter months it is often calm enough for a comfortable morning. Swell from the open Pacific still rolls in some days, and the breeze can build later on.
As a general pattern, mornings tend to be calmer than afternoons. That is one reason many whale trips leave early, and why our guide to the best weeks for humpbacks leans toward morning departures for anyone worried about their stomach.
Whale watching adds its own motion. Boats stop and drift while whales surface, and a drifting boat rolls more than one moving steadily ahead. Those still minutes are often when people start to feel unwell.
The good news is that most people who feel queasy recover fast once the boat moves again or reaches the dock. A bad hour is unpleasant, but it rarely ruins the rest of the day if you prepare well.
Fast boats against catamarans
A high-speed boat feels the sea as bumps and spray. The ride is quicker, so you spend less time getting to the whales, but each wave arrives as a jolt. Los Veranos runs hulls built for speed, up to 40 mph (64 km/h) by its own account.
A catamaran sits on two hulls and rolls less, which is why many people with weak stomachs prefer one. Mike's Fishing & Tours from ~$99 calls its boat a stable luxury catamaran on GetYourGuide. It is slower to reach whales spotted far off, though.
Small boats sit low and close to the water, so you feel every movement but also see the whales at eye level. The Ecotours Vallarta trip from ~$120 uses a small authorized boat with a restroom, which helps if you do feel ill. Our comparison of boat types goes further.
Habits that keep you steady
Seasickness comes from a mismatch between what your eyes see and what your inner ear feels. Most of the tricks work by bringing the two back in line.
- Take motion-sickness tablets before boarding, following the packet, not once you already feel sick
- Sit low and in the middle of the boat, where the movement is smallest
- Look at the horizon or the mountains rather than at your phone
- Eat a light breakfast and skip a heavy, greasy one
- Stay in fresh air rather than in a closed cabin
- Leave the open bar alone on a rough day
That last point matters on tours 2, 4 and 5, which all include drinks. Alcohol and a rolling deck make a poor mix, and a cold soda or water serves you better until you know how the sea feels.
Three hours, and quick to the whales
Los Veranos runs a 3-hour trip on high-speed boats with transportation and a box lunch. Less time at sea suits some stomachs, though the bumps are stronger than on a catamaran.
Picking a trip if you get sick easily
Trip length counts. Tours 3 and 4 last 3 hours, while tour 2 runs 4 hours and tour 5 runs 4.5 hours. A shorter trip gives the sea less time to work on you.
Ecotours Vallarta keeps you out for three and a half to four hours, depending on which listing you read. Its listings add that the trip is not recommended for people with back problems, which also says something about how a small boat moves.
Tell the crew early if you start to feel unwell. They know where on the boat the motion is gentlest, and they would rather move you to the right seat than deal with a worse problem later.
A morning departure is the safer bet, since afternoons tend to be breezier. The sunset cruise against a morning trip page covers that trade if you are drawn to the evening light. Children feel the swell too, and our page on taking kids whale watching has notes for them.
When wind cancels the trip
On rough days the harbor master can close the port to small boats, and no tour leaves. Operators may also call off a trip on their own when the sea looks unsafe. Neither happens often in the dry season, but it does happen.
If the operator cancels for weather, you are normally offered a new date or a refund. The exact terms differ, so check the listing's policy before you book. We have not read each operator's wording in full and will not guess at it.
Keep your phone on and check messages the evening before and the morning of the trip. Operators usually contact guests through the booking platform or by message when the port closes, so a missed note can mean a wasted taxi ride to the dock.
Free cancellation and your own plans
If the forecast looks rough, you can drop out for free until 24 hours before departure on the listings we checked. If a forecast looks poor a day or two ahead, you can cancel or move your booking without losing money, as long as you act in time.
The best protection is time. Book your trip early in your stay rather than on the last morning, so a cancelled day leaves room for another try. Our packing list for the boat includes the tablets, and our price comparison shows what each tour charges.
Los Veranos sells its trip as a guaranteed whale experience. The listings we read do not spell out what that covers, so ask the operator before you count on it.