Whale sharks can grow up to the size of a bus and they journey to Mexico every year to feast on the tiny fish eggs and plankton that are plentiful here at this time of the year. As they are filter feeders, they pose little threat to humans. Whale sharks frequent areas close enough to the coast that they can be reach by speedboat in about an hour. Boat tours run during the official season that spans May 17th to September 17th. I went with a company called Mexico Whale Shark. They run daily trips leaving from the Cancun area and offer pick up from your hotel. The tours leave early at 6 am!
The sunrise at Royalton Riviera Cancun. The tour leaves early!
After a smooth pickup from the resort I was staying at, it was a short ride to the port. There, we waited while everyone was fitted for a wetsuit, mask and fins (You can choose to wear a life jacket or a wetsuit). If you have your own mask and fins, definitely bring them as you;’ll be more comfortable in the water with your own equipment. You don’t need a thick wetsuit either as the water is quite warm; I wore a 3mm shorty.
There is also a a $5 Marine Park fee that must be paid per person.
Soon after, we boarded and set out in open water in search of the whale sharks.
We eventually reached an area where about a dozen or so boats were all gathered in circles. We jumped in in pairs and once every one had their turn, we were able to go in a second and third time. While the whale sharks may look slow, they are actually swimming quite fast. It’s very difficult to keep up with them even if you’re an experienced swimmer!
As I looked over, I saw a Manta Ray swim right past the boat!
It was an unbelievable experience to swim with giant whale sharks. We each got a few turns to jump in the water with the guide. There were also tons of Manta Rays feeding nearby. Unlike the ones I encountered in Bali, these ones were not as large and were performing underwater backflips.
Can I still see whale sharks at the end of the season?
I went on September 11th, 6 days before the last official day of the season so I was worried about paying almost $200 and not seeing any whale sharks but as you can see above, I still saw plenty of them. No one can guarantee the whale shark sightings as they are wild animals but many tour operators will offer you a free tour for another day if you don’t see any. Make sure to ask about their policy when booking and always book for early during your trip so you will have enough days left to schedule a second tour in case of bad luck!
Our boat docked at Isla Mujeres. Many of us jumped in and snorkeled while lunch was being prepared!
After that, the captain took us to Isla Mujeres. The beach there was simply gorgeous and there was barely any algae. The water was crystal clear and they prepared fresh fish ceviche for lunch on the boat.
I used my trusty little GoPro knockoff, the Akaso EK7000 to film the sharks. It is not a fancy camera but it gets the job done and I never worry about it getting lost or damaged underwater.