They don’t stop arriving tourists to swim with wild orcs

That clamor in many enclaves that has ended up calling as “tourist” He had reached the most remote places on the planet. They were no longer just the paradisiacal beaches, the “adventurer” went much further entering into areas such as Afghanistan, Iraq either Albania. In fact, Even Antarctica He had been the subject of the hordes eager for new experiences. What surely few ventured was that swimming with Orcas was going to become “must.”

Dancing with cetaceans. I told it in A report the Guardian this week. Every morning in the window, a quiet coastal town of Baja California Sur, dozens of tourists in neoprene costumes go up Guided boats by local fishermen or by tourist operators from large nearby cities such as Cabo San Lucas or La Paz. Your goal: swim with wild orcs.

An ecological crisis: What began as a unique and inspiring experience has become, according to many veteran experts and operators, into an uncontrolled activity that threatens both the safety of people and the well -being of animals. In absence of formal regulationup to 40 vessels can converge on the same group of orcs, especially between May and June, the months of greatest activity.

The popularity of the phenomenon has exploded since 2019driven by networks, and has exposed A legal vacuum In Mexican legislation: although there are laws that protect threatened marine species, none explicitly prohibits swimming with dentated cetaceans such as … orcs.

Invisible risks. Although there has never been a wild orca attack on humans, marine biologists warn that excessive and messy contact can cause defensive reactions. Plus and even more worrying: the cumulative effect of engines’s noise and the constant human presence on resident orc interferred by tourist activity.

According to He explained to the Guardian Captain Juan Vásquez, with more than two decades at sea, these animals “will remember being harassed” and could stop visiting the area. Despite this, economic pressure is high: marine life tourism is a crucial source of income and few wish to limit it. Even vessels without insurance or license participate in these excursions, competing with better established operators that even guarantee meetings with orcs to ensure reservations.

A pioneering plan. Given the lack of clear regulations, a group of responsible scientists and operators (including the Marine Biologist Georgina Saad and the documentary filmmaker Erick Higuera) have proposed the First Management Plan of Orcas in Mexico based not only on numerical fees but on the behavior of animals. The plan, which expects government approval this summer, would limit the interaction to Three boats per group of Orcas, with a maximum of nine daily vessels, and would require official permits.

In addition, it states that guides and captains learn to identify Stress signals In cetaceans to know when to retire. Each Orca can be recognized by its unique dorsal fin, which would facilitate a record of sightings and interactions. Plus: Part of permits income would finance local patrols and training, establishing a sustainable model that prioritizes both conservation and education.

Local tensions. However, the implementation of the plan is not exempt from controversy. Many captains and local families feel that they have not taken into account. Accuse that permits will end favoring large companies of Cabo and La Paz, displacing those who have lived from marine tourism for generations.

In addition, they criticize that the plan is focused exclusively on The windowwhen both orcs and tourists already move throughout the peninsula. For SaadHowever, concentrating the regulation on the window is key to establishing a legal and operational precedent. “We can send the message that this is the only place where you can swim with orcs, and that is how it should be done. Everything else would be illegal.”

A fine line. In summary, and despite the divisions, in the report they concluded that a large majority agrees that the solution is not to prohibit, but educate. Evans Baudinpioneer in this type of experiences and critic with the current “circus”, insists that the essential thing is to do things well: protect the orcs and continue offering respectful and safe encounters.

For its part, the window is at a crossroads: either it becomes responsible tourism model or symbol of how a viral fashion can even damage the most imposing giants of the ocean. The success of the plan will depend not only on the rules imposed, but on the collective will to take care of what everyone says they want: creatures.

Image | CICESE, Rennett Stowe

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