I am the second oldest person here. And I’m actually proud of that. Imagine, I’ve been with Cabo Expeditions for 16 years now!
I guess that makes me the happiest person here, too. If there’s one thing that makes Cabo Expeditions one of the best companies in Los Cabos, it’s the fact that they take their employees’ happiness seriously. I’ve known that the longest. In every day of my stay here.
Today, I set off to sea as boat captain of Cabo Expeditions’ whale watching tour. It’s what I’ve been doing since I left Acapulco to work here. And it never grows old. Not one tour is ever the same. Except that it always ends in happiness. Nothing compares to the genuine thrill of seeing mother whales and baby whales playing in the water. It’s always fulfilling to see how the guests enjoy watching them and telling me that they would love to come back.
You see, Cabo Expeditions does whale watching very differently. The tours are well-prepared, very organized. And conservation is indeed given top priority. Some whale watching tours in the bay use bigger boats and come closer than 260 feet (80 meters) to the whales. The roar of the big boats’ engines drives the whales away. That’s very disrespectful. But because our boats are smaller, we have better chances of seeing the whales up close–especially when they decide to come to us! It’s no wonder some of our most loyal guests have been coming back to Cabo Expeditions every year, for 10 years now.
Another thing I like about Cabo Expeditions is that it keeps me inspired to learn. You’re never too old to learn. Up to now, I still read books and research on the internet about new information on humpback whales. In fact, after today’s tour, I’ll share what I’ve learned with my fellow captains. We like that. We do a course at the start of each season every year to share information with each other. In 1999/2000, we even went to a lecture on whales conducted by the Sea World of San Diego.
New knowledge, new experiences, new friends–there’s always a new reason for me to stay here at Cabo Expeditions. To me, it’s not work. It’s home. And that’s why this old boat captain is here for life.
I’ve been told that I have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. I’m a Cabo Expeditions guide. And I swim with whale sharks.
I remember once taking a young group on our 
But sometimes, things don’t work out as planner. On one tour, I readied the equipment the day before as always, we set sail at our usual time, but after circling for an hour —we still hadn’t spotted anything. That’s how it is when tours happen in the wild. Our tours are right in the whale sharks’ natural habitat. But, even during the best season, it’s still the whale sharks’ decision whether they want to make an appearance or not.
And that was when three gigantic whale sharks popped out of the water! The captain immediately stopped the boat and we got ready to swim with them. Later on, the guests said those 40 minutes in the water —alongside the biggest fish in the world— had been absolutely magical. It’s true. I do this all the time and it still amazes me!
