Whale shark tours with kids

One of the questions we get asked most often from families is: “Is the whale shark tour suitable for children?” The short answer? Yes, absolutely – as long as your child enjoys a bit of adventure and being in the water. In the ten-plus years we’ve been running this tour, we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming many families with kids on board. And honestly? Their excitement and natural curiosity often make them some of our favorite little guests.

We recommend a minimum age of around 5 years old, but we’ve also had brave little ones as young as 3 or 4 join the experience. In the end, it really depends on the child: we’ve had three-year-olds who couldn’t wait to jump into the water, and teens (and even adults!) who preferred to stay on the boat — which is totally fine. There’s no pressure to do anything – everything is at your own pace.

Age isn’t the most important factor; what really matters is how your child feels about spending a day at sea and possibly snorkeling alongside these gentle giants of the ocean.

Whale sharks may be huge, but they’re gentle giants. They don’t have teeth to hunt with — they feed by filtering plankton-rich water through their gills — and they’re completely uninterested in people. We always keep a respectful distance, and the sharks usually swim calmly near the surface.
We also take safety very seriously. We choose the calmest days possible — especially when kids are on board — and everyone wears a life jacket in the water, so children stay afloat with ease.

Only two people enter the water at a time, always accompanied by a guide — either one of us or a member of our experienced crew. So you’re never in the water alone.
And for kids, we make it extra easy: we hold onto them in the water, by their hand or life vest. That way, they feel safe and supported — and usually they get a front-row view to these incredible animals!

Yes, absolutely! We are Antonio (from Mexico) and Rolien (originally from The Netherlands), and we personally organize and guide almost every tour. We provide all the briefings and instructions in English, which many kids (and parents!) really appreciate — it helps them understand everything clearly, ask questions, and feel at ease right from the start.
If, for some reason, we can’t be there or if we’re fully booked and running a second boat, we will have another English speaking guide on the tour. And then there’s our wonderful local crew — they mainly speak Spanish, but they have learned the most important words like “whale shark”, “dolphin” and "jump" and they do their very best to help both kids and adults in every way they can.

The whale shark tour is an unforgettable experience — but it is a long day. Just getting to the area where the whale sharks are usually found takes about 40 to 90 minutes by boat. After that, we search for them — sometimes we spot them right away, other times it takes a bit longer — and then we spend a few hours out on the open sea. So, we’ll be away from the coast for quite a while.

Unless you choose a private tour (which is totally possible, though more expensive), we can’t simply head back early if your child decides they’re no longer enjoying it. That’s why we recommend this experience only if you, as parents, know your child feels comfortable on a boat and can handle a full day at sea.

A big advantage of the boats we use is that they offer quite a bit of shade: they are even the exception of boats with a tent cloth coverage over both the front and the backside, which provides more shaded spots than the average boat. Details like these makes the boat trip as comfortable as possible.

One of many nice things about whale sharks is that they usually swim close to the surface of the water. Even if your child (or yourself) doesn't want to go into the water, these beautiful animals can be seen very well from the boat as well. The experience remains impressive, even without getting wet. In addition, there is a reasonable chance that we will encounter dolphins along the way, so there is often plenty to see.

However, the price for swimming or not is the same. A maximum of 10 people are allowed on the boat, regardless of age, so every spot counts. Of course, we have to pay for the boat and transport anyway, regardless of whether someone snorkels or not. But also good to mention: in the vast majority of cases, the people who said beforehand that they did not want to swim, still go into the water with the whale sharks in the end.

What we often notice during the excursion is how children really learn a lot from it. During the briefing, they usually listen attentively to the explanation about what whale sharks are, how they live, how we are going to swim with them, and why they should be protected. By then seeing the animals up close, a sense of wonder and respect often arises automatically.

Both children and adults are deeply impressed by these gentle giants. Contact with the whale sharks leaves a lasting impression and helps to increase awareness, respect and love for the sea and its inhabitants. That is what we're all about, so when we see it happen, that is something we are super proud of. Our goal? That everyone goes home after this experience as a real #sharklover.