Catamaran or speedboat for Puerto Vallarta whale watching?
The boat shapes your morning on Banderas Bay more than the menu does. A catamaran rides steady and slow, a speedboat covers ground and throws spray, and a small boat puts you near the waterline. This guide sets the five trips' boats against each other.
Five trips, four kinds of hull
The five tours on this site use four broad shapes of boat. Each one trades comfort against speed in its own way, and none of the listings we read gives a passenger count, so ask the operator if group size matters to you.
- A catamaran, with breakfast and lunch on board (Mike's Fishing & Tours)
- Large high-speed APEX boats (Los Veranos Canopy Tour)
- A small authorized boat with a restroom (Ecotours Vallarta)
- A mega yacht at sunset (Chica Locca Tours)
- A boat the listing calls a "specialized vessel" (Live & Travel Tours)
The bay is large, and humpbacks can surface far from the marina. How quickly a boat reaches them, and how it feels once it stops beside them, is the real difference between these five.
The catamaran, steady and roomy
Mike's Fishing & Tours runs a catamaran at ~$99, which GetYourGuide describes as a "stable luxury catamaran". Two hulls spread the weight, so the deck rocks less in a swell than a single hull does.
The space suits a 4-hour trip with breakfast, lunch and a premium open bar. It rates 4.8 from 400+ reviews on Viator and 4.8 from 30 on GetYourGuide, and leaves from Puerto Mágico or a pier in Nuevo Vallarta.
A steady deck with breakfast aboard
Mike's 4-hour catamaran trip suits travelers who want room to move, a meal at sea and a calmer ride, and who do not mind a slower run out to the whales.
The weak point is pace. A catamaran takes longer to reach a whale spotted far across the bay, and a bigger boat with an open bar carries a party side that not every whale watcher wants.
The speedboat, built to cover ground
Los Veranos uses large APEX boats at ~$99 that the listing says glide at up to 40 mph (64 km/h). On a 3-hour trip that speed lets the crew move between groups of whales instead of waiting for one to come closer.
You feel that speed. Expect spray over the bow and a firmer bump on every wave, and the listing says the trip is not for pregnant women or people with mobility impairments. Our guide to seasickness and wind explains where to sit on a fast boat.
The small boat, close to the water
Ecotours Vallarta goes out on a small authorized boat, and Viator lists a restroom on board. A small boat sits lower, so a whale blowing nearby is closer to eye level than it would be from a high deck.
Fewer people also means shorter queues at the rail. The trade is less shelter on a windy morning and simple snacks instead of a meal, though the biologist and the hydrophone are the point here, as our page on the biologist trip describes.
The mega yacht at sunset
Chica Locca Tours sails a mega yacht at ~$110 for 3 hours, with a captain, guacamole with chips and a premium open bar. It watches whales on the way out and comes back to the city lights after dark.
A yacht is about the deck and the mood more than the hunt for whales. There is no biologist, and the listing says it is not suited to people with mobility impairments. Our sunset or morning comparison weighs it against a daytime trip.
The specialized vessel
Live & Travel Tours lists a "specialized vessel" at ~$62 without saying much more about it. The trip runs 4.5 hours with a marine biologist, a hydrophone, food and drinks.
Its meeting point is H. Escuela Naval Militar 11, according to Viator, and the long trip leaves time for dolphins as well as whales. Four and a half hours is a long stretch on an unknown deck, though, if the sun is strong.
Since the listing does not describe the boat in detail, ask about its size and shade before you book. Reviewers rate it below the others, with 24 reviews averaging 4.5 on GetYourGuide.
Where to sit on board
Of the five, only the Ecotours Vallarta listing on Viator confirms a restroom. For the other four, check the listing or ask the operator, which matters on a trip of 4 hours or more with an open bar.
Shade differs too, and none of the listings we read spells it out. Pack a hat with a strap and sunscreen whatever the boat, and see our list of what to bring on board for the rest.
On any boat, the middle and lower part of the deck moves least. The bow gives the widest view and the most spray, which suits photographers on a calm day better than anyone prone to a queasy stomach.
Which boat for which traveler
Pick the catamaran if comfort and a meal count most, or the speedboat if you have only 3 hours and want to cover the bay. The small boat suits people who came for the whales themselves, and the yacht suits a group that wants a party with a view.
Photographers face a choice of their own. A higher deck lets you see over the swell and spot a blow sooner, while a low boat gives eye-level shots of a fin or a tail as it rises.
Think about the open bar too. On a choppy morning a drink on a moving deck can tip a steady stomach over the edge, so on the catamaran or the yacht it pays to wait until the boat is heading home.
Price follows the boat only loosely. Our price comparison of all five trips shows that the small research boat costs the most, and the specialized vessel the least.