Kayakers Witness Playful Humpback Whale and Calf Breach Off Costa Rica

On August 23, a group of Mamawata Surf Retreat kayakers encountered a humpback whale and its calf breaching close to their boats off Playa Escondido, Costa Rica. The sighting unfolded as the group was on a routine whale-watching paddle along the warm Pacific coast, with the pair appearing within meters of the kayaks. A Mamawata Surf Retreat representative later described in a social media post that they had been hoping to spot whales during their stay and had already been seeing them from a nearby house in the days leading up to the encounter.

The footage shows the two whales breaching in quick succession, each contact with the water sending sprays and waves toward the paddlers. When one whale leaped, the other responded with a thunderous splash that rocked the kayaks. The video, captured on Aug. 23, shows the whales continuing to breach several times before diving deeper and swimming away, leaving the paddlers with a memorable close encounter. The clip was shared by Mamawata Surf Retreat on Instagram, with Storyful verifying the clip.

Humpback whales are a familiar sight in Costa Rica's waters, where the species migrates from northern feeding grounds to warmer breeding areas along the Central Pacific. The International Whaling Commission notes that humpbacks that feed in the Antarctic Peninsula and southern Chile undertake the longest migration of any mammal to breed in Costa Rica's warm waters, typically from July through mid-November. The sighting falls within the ongoing seasonal window when Costa Rica hosts a regular stream of whale-watching visitors.

Costa Rica's coast is a magnet for observers, researchers, and tour operators during this period, reflecting the broader trend of wildlife tourism along the country’s coastline. While sightings like this highlight the extraordinary wildlife on the country's doorstep, they also underscore the importance of responsible viewing practices to minimize disturbance to the animals and their natural behaviors. Scientists emphasize that while such events are common in the breeding season, they rely on stable ocean conditions and healthy whale populations to sustain these encounters over time.

The encounter offers a vivid reminder of how ocean life intersects with local economies and tourism, and it provides another data point in the calendar of Costa Rica's climate and environmental storytelling. As ocean temperatures shift and marine ecosystems respond, humpbacks will continue to navigate vast distances to find suitable breeding grounds, a pattern that will likely endure across many breeding seasons.