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Swimming with whale sharks
From June to September, whale sharks come up off the coast of Isla Mujeres. Here is how to get close to them without disturbing them, and what the regulations say.
That’s it, we are only a few days away from the opening of the whale shark season! On 1 June boats will be allowed to approach the area where the biggest fish in the world come together, while following certain rules so as not to disturb them too much.
Whale sharks gather from June to September in the north of the Yucatán Peninsula, every year, to come and eat the plankton found off the coast of Cancún. We are lucky enough to be able to watch them, and even from very close up, by getting into the water with them! Keeping a certain distance, equipped with fins, mask, snorkel and wetsuit, we can see them go past just a few metres away; it is a truly unique experience because this animal is enormous, up to 14 m long, and thankfully harmless!
Important information
for swimming with whale sharks
The rules in the water are simple: only two people can be in the water at a time, per boat, together with a certified guide who is in the water as well. Each time in the water lasts around 5/10 min, then the next two people go in in their turn, and so on, as many times as you like… The important thing is never to have any physical contact with the animal; let us not forget that it is there to feed, not to play with us.
It is not only in Mexico that we can watch whale sharks up close, they can be seen in many countries, such as the Philippines, Mozambique, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, the Galápagos, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, South Africa, the Seychelles, Madagascar, the Maldives, Djibouti and Oman. So if you have missed them in Mexico, you still have a choice, the season is not the same in every country, and they can be seen just about all year round as they travel…
From Playa del Carmen you can choose to see them off the coast of Cancún, which is what we offer, because the water there is clear and the sharks are plentiful, or to go via Isla Holbox, which is a very beautiful trip too, but with slightly fewer sharks and water that is less crystal clear.
Enjoy your holiday!!
Related tour
Fancy swimming with whale sharks?
We design and guide every day ourselves, in small groups.
See the whale shark tour