Whale shark tours in Mexico: everything you should know
Whale shark season 2023
It's almost that time of the year again, our favorite season is just around the corner: the 2023 whale shark season on the Caribbean side of Mexico (around the Yucatan Peninsula) is about to kick off. We're soooo excited and we just can't hide it! Since we're getting a lot of questions, we thought it would be a good idea to make an overview of the most important information and frequently asked questions for you.
When?
The whale shark season starts from the end of May. It's always a bit vague and unclear when exactly the whale shark season will start, officially it starts on May 15, but that actually means that the government is starting to issue the licenses to the boats, captains and crew. In addition, the whale sharks are usually not spotted yet. Usually this is some time in the end of May, but just to be sure, many (large) companies stick to the 1st of June. We are small and we can move quickly and we are in direct contact with the captains. So once the whale sharks are here and the licenses are in order, we'll go out. The earliest date we ever went out was on May 25. When the season ends is a lot clearer: September 17 is always the last day that the licenses are valid, after that date no one is allowed to go out and search for the whale sharks.
Please note: On every 30th day of each month, the whale sharks are given a day off, and most companies and captains have agreed that no one will go out on those days.
Unfortunately, there are still a few companies that don't respect this rule, which maybe tells you something about where their priorities lie.
Where?
There are two places here on the Yucatán coast from which you can swim with the whale sharks: from Isla Holbox and from Cancún/Isla Mujeres. There is quite a difference between these 2. We do not offer whale shark tours from Holbox ourselves, because we are located in Playa del Carmen, so Holbox is a bit too far to travel. Besides that, we personally find that it has many advantages to go from the Isla Mujeres side:
1: From Cancún we almost always go to the Caribbean Sea: “the blue water”, this water is clear, warm and relatively deep. You have a much better view there than in the Gulf of Mexico, where Holbox's boats normally go. The water of the Gulf of Mexico is called “the green water”, this water is colder and the visibility is usually quite murky. In the photo below you can see the difference between the two waters. In this photo the green water is not even that bad, we have experienced that we hardly saw the whale sharks, more like a dark silhouette in the water or literally just the dorsal fin sticking out above the water. But, we don't always have a choice, it depends on where the whale sharks are. In recent years (except for the very last days of the previous season) we have only swam in the Caribbean Sea.
2: From Cancún it usually takes between 40 min and 1.5 hours to get to the blue water whale shark area. Very few whale sharks have been spotted in the Gulf in recent years, which is why the boats from Holbox even drove all the way to the Caribbean Sea to reach the same area, this is no less than a 3-3.5 hours boat ride! And then you have to go all the way back.
3: By way of comparison: "many whale sharks" in the Gulf means about 10-20 sharks, in the Caribbean Sea we sometimes have 100-250 whale sharks together. If the whale sharks are in both areas, the distribution is often that about 90% of the animals swim in the Caribbean Sea, and the rest in the Gulf.
4: A final reason is that Holbox boats are of a different quality and much slower. They are also not very keen on tour organizations from outside, so you usually won't have a guide on board who can give you an extensive explanation.
The nice thing about the trip from Holbox is that you often go snorkeling in a reef somewhere on the way back, and you sometimes see flamingos on the way. Plus we really love Holbox as an island, so you shouldn't miss it, but we recommend everyone to do the whale shark tour from the Cancún/Isla Mujeres side.
Top picture shows a whale shark in the Gulf of Mexico, bottom picture shows a whale shark in the Caribbean Sea
For whom?
This tour is for anyone who loves the sea or wants to learn more about it. You also have to be able to tolerate being on a boat for a longer period of time. We often get guests who hope to overcome their fears (of the sea, of sharks or whatever) through this excursion. Or people who only want to watch from the boat, and not swim. This is of course also possible. Incidentally, these are often the people who (when they eventually go into the water after seeing all the other participants being super excited) are the most enthusiastic of all of them.
The first time in the water is thrilling for everyone
This excursion is not suitable for people who suffer from heart -, respiratory - or back problems, pregnant women, children under 5 years old or people who cannot swim (unless they want to just observe from the boat).
People under the influence of alcohol or drugs are not allowed to participate in this tour.
Isn't it dangerous?
Swimming with the largest shark in the world. That may sound pretty scary, but they really are completely harmless. We do understand that it may be a bit nerve wrecking. So we have already written another blog about it in the past, which we will not repeat in here.
With whom?
There are many providers of this tour with large differences in prices. Read carefully, do your research on e.g. Google or TripAdvisor for reviews about the tour. TripAdvisor has lost quite a bit of credibility for us, because nowadays the companies that pay or that can be booked (for a pretty steep commission) via Tripadvisor/Viator are at the top of the list. We ourselves are now quite hard to find, despite our 200 five star reviews.
What should you look out for?
There is a big difference between the resellers and the companies that actually run the tours. It is always better to book with organizations that run this tour themselves, rather than the resellers. The vast majority of the people or companies that sell the tour (excursion desks in hotels, street stands, dive shops, among others) do not carry out this tour themselves. They sell the tour with high commissions, in some cases they'll more than double the price, while paying very little to the tour operators, who then pay the boat owners and captains the lowest possible amount. The captains and boat owners are often completely squeezed financially, but they are almost always completely dependent on the big powerful tour operators and the sellers, so they have to agree with the (too) low amounts.
We will come back to a frequently used sales trick later on: making the tour seem cheaper, with all kinds of hidden costs added at the day of the trip.
But one of the biggest problems is this: in order to gain the trust of the customers, many sellers promise, among other things, that you are guaranteed to swim with the whale sharks, or you will get 100% of your money back. This means for the captains that they will not be paid if the customers have not swam with the whale sharks. This puts a lot of pressure on the captains, because their costs of petrol (among other things) are very high. Also, the captains can of course expect more tips when people have actually swam with the whale sharks. Therefore, for these captains, their only concern is that the customers have been in the water with the whale sharks so they can be checked off the list, and thus the warranty is void. This sometimes leads to terrible situations in the whale shark area, with boats all in a clump chasing 1 or 2 whale sharks, who then keep diving down to escape all the people and boat engines. This is of course prohibited and for this very reason it is officially not allowed to guarantee swimming with whale sharks, but despite these rules, the pressure on the captains remains very high.
Of course this does not happen with all of the companies, there are a number of very caring operators and captains who do follow the rules properly. So read the reviews and check websites or ask what exactly is promised.
Of course we do not participate in the above practices, we do this tour because we love and really care about whale sharks and because we want to teach our guests and anyone who wants to hear it more about the sea and about sharks in particular. Not to harass and chase the sharks. That's why we do give guarantees, but only on SEEING whale sharks, NOT swimming with them. And our guarantee should never come at the expense of the whale sharks or our crew. We can therefore not give a 100% money back guarantee, our guarantee is that you will either receive a 50% refund if we have not seen whale sharks, or you may also choose not to receive a refund, and then go on another day for free.
The highlight of your trip or a terrible day
Fortunately, we have almost never had to redeem our guarantee, because the most important thing starts much earlier, namely the days before the tour. We do not go out every day, and we can often estimate in advance what should be a good or a less good day. We are therefore constantly monitoring the weather, the sea, and shark behavior in order to pick the best day to go out, with the best chance of finding a hopefully large number of sharks. Of course they are free animals in the wild, it is nature, so we can never be 100% sure, but with our many years of experience and in particular the immensely valuable knowledge and input of our captains, we usually know how to choose the right days for this tour.
We always try to choose the right day so that you can swim with the whale sharks at your leisure and without crowds
We know this requires quite a bit of flexibility from our guests, and we understand that it can sometimes be difficult to plan for the rest of your schedule, but we just want you to have the best possible experience.
The sellers generally don't have the knowledge or the time to keep an eye on all these factors, but most of the time they just don't really care if they send you on a good day with great conditions, or just any random day regardless of wind, rain, waves etc. and the chance that many or few sharks will come to the surface, and all the consequences that entails. As long as the targets and commissions are met and the boats are filled. But for you this makes the difference between the highlight of your trip, or a terrible day that you feel you paid way too much for.
Respect the rules
- Rule No. 1: Touching the whale sharks and any other marine animal is strictly forbidden. We keep a distance of at least 3 meters/10 feet to the animals.
- The use of life jackets is mandatory, both on the boat and in the water. Contrary to a few years ago, it is no longer allowed to swim with only a wetsuit. This is primarily for everyone's safety, but also to prevent people from diving down/freediving and getting too close to the whale shark. Or that they dive down and when they come back up are overrun by one of the boats in the area.
- You are free to take all the photos and videos you want, but the use of flash photography and extended selfie sticks is not allowed.
- In Mexico the whale sharks are not fed, and it is illegal to throw any kind of food or material into the sea.
- Scuba diving is not allowed, it's snorkeling only. The whale sharks usually are at the surface anyway, and quite hard to keep up with, even without scuba gear on.
- Sunscreens (even the "biodegradable" ones) are NOT allowed. You can still apply some sunscreen in the morning at your hotel, preferably with reef safe/ecological ones, but you are not allowed to apply once you're on the boat (at least not until we have finished the activity). These products are extremely harmful to all life in the sea, but certainly also to the whale sharks. The oils make the sunscreen float on the surface of the water, which is exactly the water that the whale sharks gulp down, so oils can end up in their gills, which may prevent them from feeding. In and on water you burn very quickly, so please protect yourself with clothing such as rash guards (lycra swim shirts) or other long sleeve shirts, buffs (face scarfs), hats, caps, etc. The boats we use offer some shade, but not the all the time because the boat also moves a lot, and not everyone can sit in the shade all the time. There are also boats (not ours) that have no roof at all.
Why is it so pricey?
Swimming with whale sharks is one of the most expensive excursions in the Riviera Maya. One of the main reasons for this is that the costs for the boat are very high. To start with the cost of the petrol: the whale shark area is (seen from Cancun) about 20-27 nautical miles (40-50 km/25-30 miles) from the coast (from Holbox between 50 and 85 km/30-52 miles!), so they cover quite a bit of a distance, and all boats are required to have a twin four-stroke engine (in our case 150 hp each). Cruising around the area and looking for whale sharks, constantly accelerating and braking again all cost extra fuel. And certainly with the current situation in the world where petrol prices have risen enormously everywhere, and inflation is really high, these costs have increased a lot.
It is very difficult, cumbersome, bureaucratic and above all very expensive for the captains/boat owners to get the necessary licenses, and the same goes for the crew and for ourselves as guides. The rules are very strict and the boats have to comply with all kinds of standards and demands (including four-stroke engines, safety adjustments, etc.) and crew and guides have to follow courses every year. All this to help protect the whale sharks and the activity. Therefore, check carefully whether the boat you book (especially if it's cheap) has all the licenses and papers in order. Licensed boats have a SEMARNAT (the Ministry of Nature and Environment) flag with a whale shark on it and a unique code.
One of our regular and favorite boats, Diego Manuel
The official whale shark flag of SEMARNAT
Every year we see boats illegally trying to enter the whale shark area. From luxury yachts and catamarans of which the owners or passengers on board believe that the rules do not apply to them, to small (fishing) boats that also try to make some extra money quickly. There is inspection and park rangers almost every day and in addition, the boats that do have licenses work together to stop and chase these other boats out. We have already seen several illegal boats being banned and removed from the area. When this happens, your day is over and your money is gone. Not to mention that this is of course not fair at all to the captains and boats that do have the expensive licenses, follow the rules and have made all kinds of expensive adjustments to their boats.
Ok, but you are more expensive than the others
That is partly true, but not entirely. To mask the actual prices a bit, some tours seem cheaper, but then they have all kinds of extra hidden costs that you still have to pay for on the spot, such as transportation, "eco-tax" and harbor fees (this varies between 10 and 15 USD p.p.), breakfast and lunch (or sometimes this is not offered at all), and sometimes you even have to pay extra for seasickness tablets or for the use of (full face) masks, snorkels, etc.
We always send you the photos and videos of the day free of charge
What hardly anyone includes in their price are the photos and videos. You don't have to buy these, of course, but most people do want them, so this a great way to get some more money out of you: the pictures usually cost between 40 and 75 USD per couple, but we know of at lease one company that charges 150 USD for them!
We personally don't like hidden costs at all, so with all our excursions (and diving) everything is is included in the price, so that you know exactly where you stand in advance. And, instead of doing sales pitches, we can focus on what we really like and find important: namely giving the most comprehensive briefing possible, with a lot of information about the whale sharks, their behavior, the rules, and how to swim with them so that you get the most out of this experience.
What else makes us different?
As a small company that consists of just the two us, we are nothing without the people we work with. We depend on our drivers, captains, crew and others. We have worked with the same people for many years, and over the years they have become like family to us. We therefore believe it is very important to treat them as partners and with the utmost respect, which means, among other things, that we pay them all a fair price for their services. They also always get an extra tip from us, on top of what our guests give to them.
You receive what you give. So in addition to a healthy and fun atmosphere on board, this also results in above-average quality and excellent service for our guests: ouw crew are very helpful and we get extensive time in the water to fully enjoy this fantastic experience. Depending on the situation we get to do at least 2, usually 3 long rounds, a maximum of 2 people are allowed in the water at the time, together with the guide.
How long you can stay in the water depends on a lot of factors: the number of whale sharks, how fast the whale sharks swim, how well you swim, how everyone on the boat feels and whether there are enough whale sharks, but it is certainly not just 2 minutes "dip and go" as happens with the vast majority of the tours. When the manta rays are in the area (this is not always the case), we always try to swim with them as well.
We have more than 9 years of experience as guides, 2022 is our 10th season. We provide a comprehensive briefing so you know exactly what to do and what to expect, and we'll be with you all day to help you get the most out of this experience. We will make sure you feel safe and get a good view of the whale sharks, even if you're not the strongest swimmer or snorkeler. We'll even hold your hand if that makes you feel better.
All boats eventually go to the same area and swim with the same whale sharks. But thanks to our good relationship and teamwork, and yes, also because we pay them well, we have a crew that works just as hard to create the best possible experience for our guests as we do. Therefore, if necessary, we will always go further out than the other boats to stay out of the crowd and find a (few) whale shark(s) for ourselves.
Enjoy a drink in the beautiful water of Isla Mujeres
This also gives us the opportunity to tactically choose the times at which we set out: we usually leave an hour earlier or later than the other companies, so that we are one of the first (or last) to arrive in the area, avoiding the crowds (the majority are gone within an hour anyway) and have the whale sharks as much as possible to ourselves.
We understand that the price of our tour may be a big bite out of your budget, but we are 100% convinced of our service and quality. And it is a “once in a lifetime”, bucket list experience... So, are you convinced and do you want to know more about our excursion or do you want to book right away? Check out our page: Swimming with Whale Sharks: Whale Shark Experience.
However, if the tour with us is really not financially viable, we can recommend our captain's own excursion company. Here you can book cheaper and directly with the captain. It is a different, a bit "dressed down" service than through us, but you will certainly be in good hands and on similar boats. Feel free to reach out and ask us how
Tipping
For the people of the islands, these few months of the year make up the bulk of their income for the rest of the year. As we've discussed before, for many companies, of the money that you pay for a tour, generally only a very small part goes to the crew that actually does the work in the end. So please don't be stingy and, if the service was good, give a nice tip to the captain and marinero at the end of the tour, they generally share it together. Our own crew can of course always appreciate an extra tip as well, and usually they have really earned it.
After the swimming we anchor in front of Isla Mujeres for a delicious lunch in the water, freshly prepared by our crew