In addition to visiting Xel Ha park, Roberto and I also wanted to do one more tour while we were in Cancun: swimming with whale sharks! We were very excited to be visiting the Cancun area the same time as these giant sharks.
Whale sharks are fish (not mammals) – the largest fish in the world to be exact. Each year schools come to the waters off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico to feed on krill, plankton and other small sea creatures each summer. They are gentile creatures and pretty cute with their polka dots!
We traveled out to sea to their feeding ground for about an hour. In fact, it was the first time Roberto had been out far enough to no longer be able to see land. Lucky us, he and I were selected to go into the water first. Although our tour boat only had about eight people, we went out with the sharks in groups of two or three.
Finally we got our first glimpse of one of the giant fish as we prepared to jump into the deep open ocean.
We sat on the edge of the boat, fins dangling, as the captain steered towards whale sharks we spotted. Once we found one close by we jumped into the water!
I felt a little overwhelmed jumping into the ocean with this giant whale shark. He was swimming away from us and his tail was huge! We were warned to stay away from the slow flapping tail as we could be injured if it hit us.
We had to swim quickly to keep up with the swimming whale shark and it was hard work. Just a few languid strokes of the giant tail fin and he was gone again. I persevered though and managed to get this video. You’ll notice towards the end the whale shark changed direction towards me and my forward momentum almost made me swim right into him!
Seeing these giant sharks up close and sharing their environment was unlike anything we’ve ever done before. Their huge spotted bodies were beautiful against the clear deep blue ocean. Their mouths were so cool as they fed along the surface; the were quite different from other kinds of sharks with big teeth!
We entered and exited the water a few more times, and once we finally had our fill, sailed over to a reef for some snorkeling. It was a nice reef but unfortunately the water was cloudy in that area so the snorkeling wasn’t the best. After the snorkel we dropped anchor on the shore of Isla Mujeres where the water was chest deep and crystal blue as far as we could see. Gorgeous!
The guides began passing us “Coronita” beers to enjoy in the water, and we ate a yummy lunch of shrimp ceviche and fresh fruit right there in the water. Amazing!
This was a wonderful tour: a great combination of adventure and nature, swimming and snorkeling and, well, drinking! If you are ever in the Cancun area between May and September definitely try to do one of these tours!
I will add that we are fairly experienced swimmers/snorkelers and found it challenging to keep up with the sharks. The water is very deep (you can’t see the bottom) so if you go be sure to wear a life preserver that fits properly and don’t push too hard. You don’t want to get winded and panicked out there!
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I honestly don’t know if I could swim with sharks. Seba looked at the video and said the same thing. You guys are way braver than we are!
Kyle recently posted..Weekend Flashback | Costa Rica
They are so harmless though I don’t feel brave. Roberto was a little skeptical at first but he was up there getting way closer than me once we got in the water!
Been meaning to do this for a long time — great you got to do it, and the big fellas showed up too.
Theodora recently posted..The Sunday Six: Things To Do In Lapland With Kids
Yep we got lucky! Hope you guys get to try it too.
I have never been more jealous! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures recently posted..My Secret Adventure (Part 8)
It really was!
Amazing! Slight jealousy here. We just got back from Belize (in May) and went searching for whale sharks – unsuccessfully (*sigh).
But, we just got back from Victoria BC yesterday, where we spotted a super pod of Orca Whales (around 80 killer whales)
Aw that’s too bad you didn’t find any. I think I’m jealous now – I really really want to see orcas in the wild one day. 80 is just insane!!
So cool, looks like you guys had a great time!
cailin recently posted..Top ten tips for attending & surviving La Tomatina Tomato fight
Ah yes it was really fun!
I’ve always wanted to do this! Very cool!
Laura recently posted..Getting Out of Auto — A Beginner’s Guide to Taking Better Travel Photos
I’ve wanted to for awhile too! hope you get an opportunity soon.
Seriously Amazing!! This sounds like an experience of a lifetime. I didn’t realize you could do this in Cancun. I almost want to plan a trip there just to take this tour!
Christy @ Ordinary Traveler recently posted..Around the World Interview Visits New Zealand!
That looks like a truly amazing adventure! One more to add to my Bucket List!
Annette | Bucket List Journey recently posted..Romance on the Via Dell’Amore Trail | Cinque Terre, Italy
You totally should add it! I also think there are other places you can swim with them in the world besides Mexico.
Nice! Seems like an amazing thing to do – I don’t think I’d be brave enough though!
Lauren recently posted..One Month of Travel – Summary and statistics
It was pretty crazy being in the water with them, but I felt very safe.
What an experience!!!! I can imagine that getting in the water with the whale shark would be pretty unnerving considering that it look like a GIANT SHARK! Sounds amazing, it definitely goes on my list of things to do.
Annie recently posted..Sunday Photos: San Francisco Snapshots
I admit I was a little freaked out at first but they really are harmless!
What a cool experience. I enjoyed swimming with the rays in Bora Bora. Now I want to swim with the whale sharks in Mexico.
Donna Hull recently posted..Travel Dreaming Boomer Style
I’ve always wanted to do the ray and shark swim in bora bora so I guess we’re even!
That looks like a truly amazing adventure! We just got back from Belize (in May) and went searching for whale sharks – unsuccessfully (*sigh). Nice! I’ve always wanted to do the ray and shark swim in bora bora so I guess we’re even!
Lara Price recently posted..Arthritis Tips
I missed this post while I was living on the ship and have never been more jealous! As an avid diver, it is my dream to swim/dive with whale sharks, and every time we seem to be in whale shark territory, it’s the wrong season!
Camels & Chocolate recently posted..In 2011…
It was really such a crazy, cool experience! We knew the whale sharks would be there and it’s one of the reasons we decided to visit Cancun. They are so neat!