Whale sharks are gentle giants of the ocean. They are the largest known species of fish and hold the distinction of being the largest living non-mammalian vertebrate. Adult whale sharks can grow to impressive sizes, reaching lengths of up to 40 feet (12 meters) or more. Some unverified reports even claim lengths of around 60 feet (18 meters). Whale sharks can weigh several tons. As filter feeders, they primarily feed on plankton, small fish, and other microscopic organisms by intaking large amounts of water and using their gill rakers to filter out food particles. They are considered to be vulnerable to extinction due to a loss of habitat, poaching, and boat strikes.
Our Whale
Shark Experience
We recently went on a trip to Cancun, Mexico to meet up with some friends. We stayed at the Royalton Splash Riviera resort (keep an eye out for our review!). Ross loves to go snorkeling and diving and has been wanting to go swim with whale sharks for awhile now. We invited the friends and scheduled the excursion. The van picked us up at 6:30 AM from our resort. The drive to the dock was roughly 40 minutes. Thankfully, the van was really nice and I napped on the drive. They provide you with a life jacket or a wet suit depending on preference.
The boat ride took about an hour to get to where the whale sharks were swimming that day. Along the way, we saw a flamingo flying over the ocean, sea turtles, manta rays, dolphins, and a flying fish (who knew they could fly THAT far!). They provided us with flippers and snorkeling gear. There is a diver that goes with you each time and we went in pairs. Each pair got to go in two times. It was INSANE. They are so big but are so chill. The whale sharks were just swimming along without a care in the world. We were able to get extremely close to them. There are rules against touching them to help protect them.
The Boat
After we each took a couple of turns, we were back on the boat. Now, I will admit I got sick on the boat. And I don’t just mean “Oh no I don’t feel good.” No, I straight up was leaning over the side of the boat losing my breakfast. All I had eaten that morning was a coffee and a chocolate pastry. Once you are at the whale sharks, you float around in circles and the boat rocks a ton from the massive whale sharks swimming and the other boats around you. So if you are prone to getting motion sick, it’s highly recommended to take motion sickness medicine.
They took us to Isla Mujeres to swim for a bit while they got some snacks ready. The water was extremely clear and even though we were far from the actual beach, it is so shallow that we were able to stand up easily in the water. If you are interested in Isla Mujeres, click here for our experience here Isla Mujeres.
The driver called us back to the boat and they provided chips, guac, ceviche, and hot sauce. They also provided waters, ham and cheese sammies, and small sodas.
Recommendations
- Get the earliest trip possible. When we first got to the whale sharks, there were less than a handful of boats. By the time we were finished, there was easily 10-15 boat tours around. By going early, we missed a lot of the chaos.
- Schedule before you go. These tours fill up fast, if you know you want to do it go ahead and schedule it. Don’t wait until you get to Cancun to schedule.
- Take motion sickness medicine before you get picked up from your accommodations. It takes time for the medication to kick in and if you wait it may not be any help.
- They provide a wrist band for visiting the reef. Keep this if you plan on doing other types of excursions, even at your resort. Our resort had sailboats we were allowed to take out but you are required to buy a wristband to do so. This will save you a few bucks.
- Bring reef safe sunscreen, GoPro, waterproof phone case, and microfiber towel. Hats and sunglasses are helpful too.
If you are interested in taking a similar excursion, below are some link options! If you want to hear about our other Cancun experiences, you can click here.
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