Banderas Bay is the largest protected bay on the planet. It was formed when an ancient volcano exploded and the caldera was flooded. You can see the circular outline formed by mountains ringing the bay on three sides.The fourth side of the circle is completed by underwater mountains that break the surface of the ocean at the Marrietas Islands. Volcanic reefs connect the islands to the mainland, all but closing off the bay from the Pacific. This is why the giant cruise ships cannot come into the bay to visit Puerto Vallarta (yea!).

There are only two deep water channels connecting the pacific ocean to the bay, and both of these are patrolled by dolphins who do not allow sharks to enter the bay which is a calving ground for Dolphins, Humpback whales, wright whales and others. Thanks to geology and the vigilance of the dolphins, Banderas Bay is virtually shark free!

On previous retreats we have regularly seen dolphins, and occasionally have seen whales and giant manta rays. From Puerto Vallarta there are a variety of daily charters that take passengers out into the bay to look for whales.

My favorite charter is called the Bloodhound, shown at left. She is a hand built 98 foot wooden sail boat - called the nicest wooden boat afloat by a recent sailing magazine. Our February 1998 retreat participants chipped in to rent this boat and its crew for a day of whale watching and snorkeling at the Marrietas Islands. We saw several whales, lots of dolphins, and hundreds of tropical fish. With the exception of our wonderful massage therapist (who got very sea-sick) everyone had a great time. Many of our participants managed to get pictures like the one below of the ocean just after a whale disappeared, but we did manage to get one picture, above right, of a whale surfacing.