Written By: Brittany James aka Always5Star Jr.
Want to swim with whale sharks in Cancun? I did and you can too! That is something I never thought I’d say! It was never on my radar because honestly, it was a bit scary to think about! However, when we were planning a trip to Cancun, Mexico with our best friends they told us swimming with whale sharks was on the top of their list of what they wanted to experience while in Mexico so I knew I had to conquer the fear and do it! I am happy to report I survived…lol, and it was pretty spectacular! I want to share my tips to help you have an Always5Star whale shark experience!
🌟 Booking Your Tour
Our tour was with Contoy Adventures. When booking, you may have the option to rent a wet suit – do not do this! My husband and I selected this and paid the extra fee however, there were no wet suits and we did not need them!
We added to our reservation being picked up at the hotel, and I am so glad we did! It was nice to not have to worry about transportation to and from the tour.
5StarTip🌟:
Book your tour for early in your trip! Our tour had to be rescheduled for later in the week due to the wind and luckily we had time left in our visit to be able to reschedule!
🌟 What To Bring With You
There are a few items that are important to remember when you go on your whale shark tour. Here is a list of items I recommend:
- Biodegradable sunscreen – this is something you must have! They will not allow you to use any other kinds.
- Cash – you need cash to pay for your protected area bracelet fees. At the time of our tour, it was $12 USD per person. We also brought cash to tip the guide and captain.
- Seasick medicine – I can’t emphasize this one enough! We brought patches and took Dramamine. There were many boats we went by that had lots of seasick people! Bring whatever you can and use it according to the package directions!
- Underwater Camera – you will want to document this once in a lifetime experience!! If you don’t have an underwater camera buy a waterproof case for your phone and use that! 5StarTip🌟: if you don’t want to worry about capturing that perfect shot, check with your tour company and see if your guide will be filming your swims! We ended up purchasing their footage because ours wasn’t as good!
- Snacks – they advise you to not eat a lot in the morning before the tour due to possible seasickness. We were starving by the end of the tour, and I wish I would have had a few things to eat on the way back to the hotel.
- Backpack – you will need something to put your things in and think waterproof! Our captain let us put our things in a storage area on the boat which was great because it would have been soaked! Put your electronics in a plastic zip bag that seals properly, in your backpack, if they can’t get wet.
- Don’t forget your swimsuit (we wore ours there), towels, hat and sandals or shoes. You won’t need snorkel gear because they provide it!
- 5StarTip🌟: just wear your bathing suit on the boat! Don’t wear your cover-up because it can get wet!
🌟 What To Expect
Your whale shark tour will start early! They picked us up at 6:45 am from our hotel with means you have to hold off on the tequila the night before! Someone on our tour did not do that and they were struggling!
You will meet at the port where you’ll check-in, pay your protected area bracelet fee and meet your guide. After you check-in immediately apply your sunscreen because you can’t once you are on the boat! This is also the time to purchase light breakfast items, souvenirs and make sure to use the restroom.
After everyone is checked in you will have a safety and informational meeting…then everyone will head to their boat! You’ll know which one to go to based on the color of the bracelet you got when you checked in. Each color is assigned to a guide and captain. There are 10 people per boat.
You’re now loaded on the boat, life vests on, your shoes are in the crate and will stay there for the remainder of the tour, valuables and everything you want to stay dry is stored…now it’s time to go!
Now, this may seem silly to say but you will be swimming in the ocean with the whale sharks and when I say in the ocean I mean an hour and a half boat ride away from shore!! You will see not see land! This concept never registered with me, so I had a moment of panic when I saw how far into the ocean we were going. However, our Captain was amazing and the boat ride was much smoother than I anticipated. They said the water was rougher than usual but it still was a fun ride. We got soaked though because we were in the back of the boat!
After driving for over an hour the captain informed us that we have reached the whale shark area. Now all the other boats who left the marina at the same time are spread out throughout this area searching for the whale sharks. Once they are spotted, the closest boat sends out the coordinates and we all take off for the location. Since you are in the open ocean, the number of whales can vary! There can be 3 or there can be 70. More whales mean more chances for you to swim with them.
You are now in the presence of the whale sharks…take a deep breath, calm any nerves because you are about to have a truly incredible experience! Only two people from each boat can go at a time. You and whoever you are paired with will get your goggles, snorkel, and fins on and sit on the side of the boat with the guide. The Captain will drive around to find the right spot to have you jump in. Once it’s time, be prepared to feel a bit stressed, especially the first time, because both the Captain and Guide will start yelling at you to jump in. I was so frazzled the first time I forgot to put my snorkel on…rookie move…and, once in the water you have to start swimming! Let me remind you, you’re in the middle of the ocean so it’s not the easiest to swim. If you can’t swim this is not the tour for you, yes, you have a life vest on but you have to constantly be swimming and moving because the whale sharks are constantly moving.
Apart from being in the middle of the ocean, the other thing that surprised me was the number of other people there with you in the water. I see photos online where it is just the diver and whale shark. For us, there were at least 25 other people in the water at the same time. However, it didn’t take away too much from my experience. There was one point I had to move some people aside, but that only happened once. We were able to swim with them 3 times while we were out. It was the perfect amount of time! Each swim was about 3-5 minutes.
With our particular tour, after we were done swimming with the whale sharks we boated back and stopped at Isla Mujeres for a swim and ceviche. The water there was incredibly clear and blue! After an hour there we packed up and headed back to the marina to end our epic day!
🌟 Final Thoughts
If you have the chance to swim with whale sharks, do it!! Push those fears aside and take the leap because I know you won’t regret it! Hopefully, I have helped inspire you and give you tips on how the day may go which can alleviate some stress and help you just be in the moment! Cheers to you having this Always5Star adventure!
Please note: I was not compensated for this post or my opinions expressed.
Others articles written by Brittany James aka Always 5 Star Jr.:
The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch – An Always5Star Jr. Family Outing
A bit about the author: Brittany James
Brittany James is married and has two beautiful children. She is also the Social Media Manager for Always5Star. Her passion for travel came from her mother, Always5Star (at least that is what I am going to take credit for 😉). She is beginning her journey to Always5Star travel and enjoys sharing her family, friends and couples travel tips as a mother of small children. She has more dimes than dollars, but enjoys researching ways to enjoy Always5Star travel on a budget.
About Pamela Rossi
I am passionate about travel and taking each moment and making it a five star experience. My goal is to create those experiences for YOU!
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